Duelist Kingdom Adventures
by MillenniumPrincess
Summary: Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, but I've decided to retell the story with the addition of some of my characters starting with season one. Read and review, please.
1. Prologue

Prologue

Long ago in ancient times, there raged a war between a goddess of light named Millennia and a lord of darkness named Cobalt. Mortals all over the world fought for the power of these two battling deities. The ancient Egyptians believed in methods of borrowing the powers of the Gods. In time, Millennia and Cobalt's powers had been tampered with and used to build seven sacred objects known as the Millennium Items. This angered the Gods and a border between the human world and the Realm of Shadows opened. The magic of the Shadow Games got out of control and threatened to destroy the entire world until a brave pharaoh locked the dark magic away; imprisoning it within the mystical Millennium Items. But time itself moves in a circle and history repeats itself.

Now, five thousand years later, a boy named Yugi unlocks the powers of the Millennium Puzzle and the Shadow Games begin again. By the magic of the Puzzle, Millennia herself has bestowed upon Yugi ancient powers, for she has chosen him to defend the world from the return of the Shadow Games. But many still seek to use Millennia's power for their own selfish ambitions.


	2. The Beginning

The Beginning

It was the start of another day at school for Yugi and his friends. When they heard that a new student was transferring to their school, they were looking forward to meeting their new classmate and arrived early to their first class. They each had different views on what this student would look like. Tea hoped it would be a new girl to join the group. She figured she would like that after always hanging out with male friends. Just someone to spend typical girl time with. Tristan and Joey agreed. They wouldn't mind it being a girl and if it would be, they hoped she would be tall and pretty and have a thing for guys. Yugi, however, had a feeling he knew who this new student would be.

Finally, the teacher spoke up. "All right, class, please join me in welcoming our new student." He moved aside, revealing a young girl.

The entire class gazed at her in amazement. Her skin was pale, like she had never set foot in sunlight, her straight hair was bright blonde and went down to her ankles, and her eyes were as blue and deep and endless ocean itself. She was a short girl and looked only a few inches taller than Yugi, but still pretty. She was like a fairy, perhaps an angel, maybe even a princess. Too beautiful to be human.

Even her voice was enchanting. That was what some of the boys thought when they heard her speak up. "Hello," she said. Her voice was soft, but she managed to speak up so her classmates could hear her. "My name is Emily. Emily Briar," she said and lowered herself to bow after introducing herself. Hearing the sound of clapping, she turned her gaze towards the back of the class where Yugi was. He was the one clapping for her. Emily's smile brightened up as she saw him. Feeling embarrassed, Yugi stopped clapping. A second later, Tea started clapping her hands followed by Joey and Tristan. Soon the entire class was clapping their hands. Talk about a warm welcome.

Just then, another student came through the doors. "Sorry I'm late - hey, what's everybody clapping for?" Her name was Max and she had black hair reaching down to her shoulders and eyes cobalt blue like the jewel hanging down from her neck.

The teacher looked at his tardy student. Once again, she had ruined her school uniform and made it look like the outfit of a delinquent. He sighed in disappointment. It was clear to him that she wasn't going to stop styling her uniform in her favor and comfort, so there was no point in sending her to the office to change her outfit. "Just take your seat, Max," he said, irritated. "You too, Miss Briar. And once again, welcome."

Emily nodded and positioned herself to the back of the class to where Yugi was. Max took her seat at the front of the class near the door. Max wasn't a bad student. In fact, her marks were nearly perfect. It was just school policy that didn't apply to her. Max was one of those wealthy, spoiled teenagers who thought she could always have her way. She was also very popular. But now that she was seeing some of her fellow classmates focusing their attention on Emily, she had a feeling her popularity would come to an end. But that wasn't Max's only concern. She had a feeling there was more to this new student. But she would only know for sure after getting to know her.

For a first day of school, Emily was starting to feel adjusted to her classes and already she had friends helping her. But she would only know for sure for the next few days. But now that the first half of school was done, the kids were now able to enjoy their lunch hour. Emily was looking for her friends until she was called over by some other students. She responded to the call and saw Max sitting at a cleaner and more organized table. She figured that was where the popular students sat and ate. Just to be polite, Emily walked over to the table, but didn't sit down.

"Don't be shy," said one of the girls, "Come and sit with us."

One boy held up a hand. "You know the rules." Looking at him, Emily saw that this was Seto Kaiba, the Duel Monsters champion. She never thought they would be in the same school. Kaiba was older and considered the brains of the entire school. Not only was he intelligent, but he had a serious vibe. None of the other rich or popular students ever considered matching wits with him.

Kaiba approached Emily and started evaluating her. He always knew that looks weren't everything and brains also had to be taken into account. He moved his fingers around to track her gaze and measure her features. She was beautiful, he had to admit, but was she also smart? Did she have as much wit as he and his friends did? He figured he would know if he welcomed her. He finished evaluating her and finally said, "You pass. You can join us." Before walking away, he turned back and added, "But you really should cut your hair."

Emily was beginning to feel appalled. She had remembered putting up with this demeanor when kids pretended to want to be her friend when really they wanted to take advantage of her. Emily didn't want to fall victim to that stunt again, so she walked away. Finally finding her friends, she joins them at their table.

"I'm guessing you had an unpleasant encounter with the popular kids," Tea assumed.

Emily nods. "They didn't seem like very nice people."

Yugi understood how Emily felt. Like her, he was an easy target to bullies and had often been picked on and taken advantage of. In fact, the two went to elementary school together and became very good friends. Even Tea was close to them and always looking out for them. She even considered Emily her closest friend and always spent her activities together with her. Now the three of them were together again and would catch up.

Joey and Tristan found their story interesting. Emily wasn't keen on sharing the whole story of her past and why she went to separate schools from her friends. Right now, all that mattered to her was catching up with her oldest friends and getting to know her newest ones.

* * *

 **Emily is my OC. Max belongs to my younger sister, who has let me use her.**


	3. It's all in the Cards

It's all in the Cards

Days turned into weeks and the new group of five took each day at a time in life. They helped each other with their schoolwork and spent a lot of their free time together with their activities: learning dance lessons, participating in sports, even playing Duel Monsters.

Yugi was the most experienced player of the group; practically an expert. His grandfather, Solomon Muto, was not only an archeologist, but he also had a passion for gaming and taught Yugi everything there was to know about the game. With all his gained knowledge, Yugi taught his friends to his best with every game they played together.

Max and Kaiba couldn't stand the childish ways of their games, but there were some things that couldn't be ignored; especially when Yugi mentioned his grandfather keeping a special one-of-a-kind card. Max and Kaiba couldn't help but wonder, could they have been talking about the card they had been looking for?

After school, Yugi and his friends went to his grandfather's game shop in hopes of seeing that rare card. Solomon just couldn't refuse giving his grandson and his friends the opportunity. After all, they only wanted to see the card, not trade for it.

A few minutes later, Kaiba opened the door to the shop and walked in. Max followed him. Yugi and the others were surprised. Not only were they the most popular kids in school, but they had real world reputations to uphold. Not only was Kaiba the top-ranked duelist in the country, but he also was the president of a multi-billion dollar corporation. Max was also a famous celebrity and even had her own personal music band. Her songs hit the streets and music fans constantly purchased almost every new album. Max was almost as rich as Kaiba.

But these two serious and egotistical teens had their reasons for coming and wanted to get down to business. They shoved the other kids aside and made their ways to Solomon's desk. Looking down, they saw that it was the card they had been looking for all along; the legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

Kaiba lifted his briefcase and opened it; revealing his entire collection of Duel Monster cards. "Listen up, old man, give me your Blue-Eyes White Dragon card and I'll trade you all of these."

Yugi and his friends couldn't believe Kaiba's proposal. Even Solomon was just as impressed with Kaiba's collection. But he kindly refused.

Max took her chance to make an offer. "Fine, if you won't trade, maybe you'll sell. Name your price. I can pay you anything."

"I'm sure you could," Yugi's grandfather told her. "But this card means more to me than anything even you wealthy youngsters can offer. Not because of its strength or because it's so rare, but because it was given to me by an old friend and I treasure this card as I do that friend."

Yugi smiled. "You'd feel the same way even if it were a common card, right, Grandpa?"

Solomon nodded. Being the owner of a game shop, he knew the aspects of just about every game he ever played. He also learned that it wasn't about strength or quality, but that the true quality of the game comes from the heart of the player. He even mentioned that even a playing card can reflect the heart of the player and that a part of that player will always be with that friend in that card.

Max and Kaiba had enough. They wouldn't stay to listen to such nonsense. Yugi and his friends couldn't understand those two. They were both great duelists and had a great passion for the game. Why couldn't they understand the magic of believing in their cards?

 _Heart of the Cards, ridiculous,_ wondered Kaiba. _These cards are all about power and one way or another, that card will be mine._

The next day, Kaiba sent his associates to the game shop. They told Solomon that his presence was requested by Kaiba and brought him to the company. Solomon agreed to go in hopes of teaching Kaiba a lesson about having respect for his cards.

Yugi and his friends weren't aware of what happened because they were still at school at the time. When they got to the game shop in the afternoon, they saw that the place was empty. Why would Yugi's grandfather leave the shop unlocked if he would be going out?

Then the phone rang. Yugi answered, only to hear Kaiba's voice. "Ah, Yugi, perfect. Your grandfather's here visiting, but he's not feeling too well. Why don't you come by my office and pick him up?" Then he hung up.

"Kaiba, what have you done, Kaiba?" Yugi asked. Seeing their friend look so worried, the others knew that something was wrong. So they agreed to join him in heading over to KaibaCorp to save his grandfather.

They came to one of the top floors and found Solomon on the floor, weak and in pain. "Yugi, I failed," he groaned. "I wanted to teach that boy a lesson and I failed."

Then the teenage company president stood before them. "How's the old man doing?" he asked in mock concern. When Yugi demanded to know what happened, Kaiba answered, "We had a duel, that's all. With each of us putting up our rarest card for the prize. But I guess playing against a champion like me was too much stimulation for the old man."

Yugi and his friends were outraged and disgusted. They couldn't stand how Kaiba would go through great lengths to get his hands on Solomon's treasured card. "Kaiba, you should be ashamed of yourself!" Tea scolded.

"It was fair," protested Kaiba, "and look at the sweet prize I won." He reveals the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, then places it in both hands, tearing it right before their eyes. "Yes, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon is a rare and powerful card and this one will never be used against me," he said, throwing the torn card in the air.

"My card," Yugi's grandfather groaned. "My Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Yugi understood his grandfather's pain, but his health was his first concern. Ignoring his pain, Solomon held his deck towards his grandson. "Yugi, take this. I built this deck. I put my soul in these cards. And I taught you everything I know. Teach Kaiba respect for the Heart of the Cards."

Kaiba decided to take advantage of the situation even further by challenging Yugi to a duel. "Your friends can care for your grandfather, Yugi, while you and I duel."

Yugi was about to refuse once more until Joey spoke up and said, "Take him, Yugi. We'll take care of your grandpa while you take care of Kaiba. Teach that rich spoiled brat what dueling's all about!"

Despite his friends' support, Yugi still wasn't sure. For one, Kaiba was an expert duelist and Yugi was a novice. But all of his friends believed in him. "Joey's right, Yugi," said Emily. "We know you can do it. Trust me, I've known you for a long time and you're one of the strongest duelists I've even met. Plus, you've got the Millennium Puzzle." Although Emily had only spent a few short weeks catching up with her oldest friend, she had learned his new secrets. Plus, she didn't know it, but she could sense a mysterious power within Yugi's Puzzle and figured it was what was giving him strength.

Listening to his friends' support, a new feeling came over Yugi. He felt like he had to face Kaiba for what he did. So he gathered his courage and accepted Kaiba's challenge.

Tea decided it was everyone else's turn to give Yugi their strength. So she had everyone form a circle, hold their hands out, and she drew what looked like a happy face to symbolize their friendship and remind one another that they'll always have each other's support. Tea also decided that Emily and Joey should stay behind and cheer for Yugi while she and Tristan would take Solomon to the hospital.

Kaiba led Yugi to an incredibly large dueling arena, promising him that this wouldn't be like the duels he played with his friends. "Are you ready to play, you runt?" Kaiba taunted, taking his position.

"Playtime is over, Kaiba," Yugi said, sounding more confident. That was when he tapped into the power of his Millennium Puzzle. Kaiba didn't know how or why, but there was something suddenly different about his opponent. He wasn't the only one sensing it either. Max was also there. She had actually witnessed Kaiba tear the Blue-Eyes White Dragon card. She wasn't pleased about it, but she supported the idea of Kaiba and Yugi dueling. Sensing the power of Yugi's Millennium Puzzle, the cobalt crystal hanging from Max's neck faintly glowed. But she wasn't ready to assume anything yet. She wanted to see the duel play out.

"Now, Kaiba," Yugi was saying, his voice stronger and deeper, "Prepare yourself. It's time to duel!"

When Kaiba made his first move by playing the monster Hitotsu-Me Giant, Joey and Emily were amazed to see the card come to life.

"Monsters?" Joey asked. "Real monsters?"

"The monster isn't real," Max told them. "The dueling arena they're playing on displays the cards' effects as holographic projections."

Even Yugi was overwhelmed. Now he realized that Kaiba defeated his grandfather with these holographic displays. But now wasn't the time to be afraid. Yugi summoned his own monster, Winged Dragon and Guardian of the Fortress. The Dragon defeated the Giant with his Fireball attack, dealing 200 points of damage to Kaiba's life points.

Kaiba complemented Yugi for his first move as a beginner, but being a champion duelist, he was full of surprises. And his next move was only a simple surprise. Yugi was confused to see Kaiba summon a weak monster like Saggi the Dark Clown, but Kaiba raised his Dark Clown's attack points by playing a magic card called Negative Energy, making him three times stronger and defeating the Winged Dragon.

So far, none of Yugi's monsters could stand up to the Dark Clown, so he continued to defend his life points until he could find a powerful monster.

Kaiba smiled in amusement. "You're not faring any better than the old man did, Yugi. Your deck is just as weak and feeble as your grandfather."

But he wouldn't give in to Kaiba's taunting. "My grandpa is a great man and a better duelist than you'll ever be. He entrusted me with his cards and I can feel his heart in this deck. I doubt you have that kind of faith in your cards, Kaiba. But I believe in my grandpa's deck." Then he drew from his deck, acquiring a monster capable of defeating Kaiba's Dark Clown. "And my faith rewards me with Gaia the Fierce Knight." With an attack strength of 2300, the Fierce Knight defeated the Dark Clown.

But Kaiba wasn't worried. He knew he had the right card that would keep the duel in his favor. "Faith or no faith, you will fall by the superior might of my monsters." This move was an even more shocking surprise, for he summoned a Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

"Impossible!" gasped Joey. "We saw Kaiba tear that card in half!"

"Surprised?" asked Max. "Did you really think that Yugi's grandfather was the only one who had a Blue-Eyes White Dragon card at his disposal?" That was when they remembered Solomon mentioning that there were only four Blue-Eyes White Dragon cards in the entire game. The one they saw in Solomon's game shop was the first and the one Kaiba just played was the second. But they had a feeling it wouldn't be the last.

With its overpowering attack strength of 3000, the White Dragon obliterated the Fierce Knight. Now Yugi was beginning to feel worried. How could he hope to defeat one of the rarest and most powerful monsters in the game? In the state he was in now, it seemed like his best option was to keep defending himself.

"Power is what this game is all about, you fool," said Kaiba. "Faith is for losers like your pathetic grandfather. In your entire deck, there's not a single card that can stand up to a Blue-Eyes White Dragon. So what hope do you have against two?" Kaiba surprised Yugi and his friends once again by summoning another Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Now that Yugi had two White Dragons to contend with, he was starting to become desperate. He knew he couldn't keep relying on his monsters to protect himself, so he played a magic card known as Swords of Revealing Light; rendering Kaiba's monsters immobile and unable to attack for three turns.

Kaiba wasn't worried. Though he didn't know what good a three-turn delay would bring Yugi, he knew that any new monster he summoned to the field wouldn't be affected by the power of Yugi's Swords. With his Dragons unable to attack, Kaiba summoned a warrior-type monster known as Judge Man and attacked Yugi's last defense.

Feeling ready to quit and wanting to back out, he was about to until he heard his grandfather's voice. "For someone claiming to have faith, you're giving up too easy. Listen, Yugi, sometimes certain cards are like a puzzle and you need to put the pieces in their proper place."

"Like the Millennium Puzzle?"

"Exactly. Each piece helps create a greater entity." Yugi didn't understand his grandfather's words until he remembered something. There was actually a monster that was like a puzzle and had different pieces. Yugi remembered his grandfather telling him about the mighty creature Exodia. Assembling all five pieces of the unstoppable beast ensured victory. Looking at his hand, Yugi saw that he already had four Exodia pieces, meaning that the last one was in his deck. He knew he had to draw it in order to defeat Kaiba's Dragons and win the duel, but the odds were against him. For soon, Yugi's Swords will expire and Kaiba's Dragons will be free.

Kaiba was beginning to lose his patience. "Quit your stalling or you will forfeit the match, Yugi!"

Yugi found that he had a monster in his hand that would defeat the Judge Man. It was his favorite monster, the Dark Magician. With an attack power of 2500, the mage's Dark Magic attack removed Judge Man from the field and sent him to the graveyard.

Kaiba was certain that his next move would surely surprise Yugi even more, for it was the third and final Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Who would have thought that Kaiba would have the three remaining White Dragons in his deck? That was when Yugi realized that Kaiba only wanted the last one so it wouldn't be used against him. That was also why he tore the card. "Though neither Dragon can move for another turn, my new one can attack and destroy your Dark Magician. And once the effect of your Swords of Revealing Light expires, I'll be free to attack you with all of my Dragons."

Finding himself in doubt, Yugi pulls his hand away from the deck. At least, that's what he thinks when really, the deck is pulling itself away from Yugi. Looking close, Yugi sees all of his friends placing their hands on the deck, promising that they're here for him. Trusting in himself and in his deck, Yugi puts all of his faith in this card as he draws it.

Kaiba's patience continued to grow thin. "Draw your last pathetic card so I can end this, Yugi."

"My grandfather's deck has no pathetic cards, Kaiba," said Yugi. "But it does contain the unstoppable Exodia!"

Kaiba couldn't believe what he just heard. "Impossible!" he cried.

"I've assemble all five pieces of the puzzle," Yugi told him as the mighty beast came into play.

Kaiba stared and trembled in fear. In every duel he ever witnessed and for every opponent he ever fought against, he had never seen anyone summon Exodia. Fear continued to take over him as all three of his Blue-Eyes White Dragons were obliterated and his life points fell all the way to zero. Joey and Emily cheered for Yugi's incredible victory. Kaiba's little brother Mokuba and Max stared in shock. They couldn't believe what they just saw.

But Yugi wasn't one to gloat for his victory. To help Kaiba recover from his defeat, he told him his problem. "You play only for power, Kaiba, and that is why you lost. But if you put your heart in the game, there is nothing you can't do."

"But how?" Kaiba asked himself. "How could I have lost to him?"

Yugi hears him and tells him, "Kaiba, if you really want to know, open your mind!" Using the power of his Millennium Puzzle, Yugi reaches out to Kaiba and helps him to open his eyes. As if waking up from a haunting nightmare or being set free from a spell, Kaiba groans and falls on his knees. "There. Maybe now you'll begin to understand."

 _There it is again_ , Max wondered. _I can sense a great power coming from Yugi's Millennium Puzzle._ The truth of the matter was that the person dueling Kaiba was not really Yugi Muto, but a whole other being named Yami. Max had a feeling she would be sensing his presence more often.


	4. The Gauntlet is Thrown

The Gauntlet is thrown

Word of Yugi's defeat over Kaiba quickly spread not just all over town, but almost all over the world. It even grabbed the attention of the creator of Duel Monsters, Maximillion Pegasus. He was so impressed to hear of Yugi's victory, he sent the boy a personal gift.

Yugi read the contents on the package, saying it was sent from Pegasus' company, Industrial Illusions; one of the top companies in the gaming corporation. Yugi and his grandfather and friends weren't sure why Yugi would receive a package from Industrial Illusions. His duel with Kaiba wasn't necessarily an official match, but Kaiba's spirit was broken after his defeat and he dropped out of the game. He hadn't even been showing up for school in the past few days. Nevertheless, Yugi opened the package and saw that it contained a glove, two gold stars, and a video tape. Curious, he played the tape, wondering if it contained a message.

Pegasus' face showed up on the screen. "Greetings, little Yugi, I am Maximillion Pegasus. I have heard some terribly interesting things about you. Your impressive defeat over Seto Kaiba has intruiged me so much that I've decided to investigate your dueling skills personally. Right here and now. We shall play with a strict time limit of fifteen minutes and whoever ends with the most life points wins."

Everyone was confused. "You can't possibly expect to play against an image on screen," said Joey.

But this would be an actual duel. Suddenly the whole area became dark and cold and everyone except for Yugi became motionless as if time had stopped. "Everything's grown dark and cold and the others aren't moving. What have you done? Where have you taken us?" Yugi asked.

Pegasus chuckled. "We're no longer in the world you know. But I'll return you and your friends after our game."

"Then it's time to duel," Yugi cried, sounding strong and confident. Just like what happened before, his Millennium Puzzle glowed and Yugi became a completely different person. Rather the whole other person Yami had taken control. "Start the clock and make your move."

The clock started to count down from the fifteenth minute. For Pegasus' first move, he didn't summon a monster. Instead, he placed a card face down on the table. "Nervous, Yugi boy? You've never faced a duelist like me before."

"You may be good, but I will beat you and save my friends," Yami promised, drawing his card.

"You won't save anyone with that dragon," said Pegasus. Looking at the card he just drew, Yami was surprised. How could Pegasus see his card? "I told you you've never faced an opponent like me. I know every move you'll make before you can even make it. And that gives me a distinct advantage, wouldn't you say?" That was when Pegasus revealed his hidden trap, Dragon Capture Jar, trapping the Koumori Dragon.

 _This is crazy_ , echoed Yugi's voice in the back of Yami's mind. _First he reads my mind, then he brings the monster on my card to life._

Seeing Yami look so flustered, Pegasus explains to him, "This dark dimension we're in is known as the Shadow Realm. A mystical place where monsters can be summoned and the impossible is quite possible." Pegasus was unaware that his opponent wasn't really Yugi, but it was clear to him that this was his opponent's first duel with real monsters. So he asked, "Tell me, Yugi boy, do you believe that there is magic in these cards?"

"Don't you know," Yami retorted. "You invented this game."

"What if I told you I didn't?" Pegasus explained his story, saying that in ancient times, sorcerers and kings played a game similar to Duel Monsters and called it the Shadow Games. They played those games in the Shadow Realm where the monsters and magic were real. These Shadow Games weren't played for fun. Rather, they were played to ultimately decide one's fate like they were battles of life and death.

It sounded too good to be true. "It's a good story," Yami admitted, "but these monsters can't be real."

"Tell that to my Dragon Piper as he draws out your Koumori Dragon and forces him under my control," Pegasus said, making his move. Yami tried to counter attack by playing Silver Fang, but the Dragon burned the wolf and dealt 500 points of damage to Yami. It was now clear to Yami that the monsters in the duel were very real.

Pegasus continued to torment his opponent. "Ah, Yugi boy, you really are quite entertaining. The way you scowl and sneer. So defiant, yet helpless. And yet so completely ignorant of the power of your Millennium Puzzle." At that moment, he beginning explaining the second part of his story, saying it wasn't long until the magic of the Shadow games got out of control and threatened to destroy the world. To avert this cataclysm, the magic was locked away within ancient treasures known as the seven Millennium Items; sacred treasures said to allow their wielders to borrow the powers of the Gods. The only reason Pegasus was telling this story was because he also had a Millennium Item and wanted to acquire the others. Yami was amazed to hear that his Puzzle was one of these Items and wondered if there really was magic within them.

Pegasus enjoyed telling his story, but there was no time to tell more. The clock was still ticking and the duel had to continue. Yami knew that somehow Pegasus could see the cards in his hand, meaning that he would always be a step ahead of him no matter what card he played. That gave Yami an idea. He drew a card from his deck and played it on the field without looking at it.

But this was a trick Pegasus was prepared for. Not only did he have the power to see the cards in his opponent's hand, but he could also read his mind. Yami revealed his hidden card and played the Dark Magician; using it to attack Koumori Dragon and drop Pegasus' life points to 1200. Pegasus tormented Yami in mock fright and played a spellcaster of his own called the Illusionist Faceless Mage. A strange move on his part for the Faceless Mage was weaker than the Dark Magician. Yami didn't want to take his chance and attack with his Dark Magician, so he summoned a warrior called Celtic Guardian and used it to attack. But Pegasus had armed his mage with a magic card called the Eye of Illusion; controlling Dark Magician and turning him against Yami. Yami was down to his last 400 life points and Pegasus had thrice that many. Time was almost up, but Yami had to take this chance to strike back. He played Summoned Skull, a fiend-type monster with an attack strength equal to Dark Magician's and more than twice the attack strength of the Faceless Mage. Yami called for it to attack, but the fiend never got the chance to land its attack because the countdown had ended.

"Well, we've run out of time, but how close was that? If you had been able to complete that attack, I would have lost. But I didn't." But Pegasus wasn't through. He promised that they would meet and duel again for higher stakes.

But Yami refused. "I'm done playing your games."

Pegasus shook his finger. "You presume I'm giving you a choice in the matter, but I'm not," he said and moved his hair covering the left side of his face. Yami was amazed to see that his left eye was actually the Millennium Eye; one of the Items from his story. That was how Pegasus was able to change the game and stay in control. Once again, he tapped into its power and used not on Yami, but on Yugi's grandfather, capturing his soul. "Yes, Yugi, we shall duel again. How else will you ever hope to reclaim your grandfather's soul?" Then Pegasus' voice faded away as he laughed. Yugi regained control, but paid no attention when his surroundings and friends returned to normal. He kept his eyes on the screen calling out for his grandfather. None of the others knew what was going on or what had just happened.


	5. Journey to Duelist Kingdom

Journey to Duelist Kingdom

Yugi spent the rest of the evening alone. He wasn't sure how to explain what happened to his friends. He actually would if he knew himself. For all he knew, his grandfather was right beside him for one minute and the next, his soul was captured. Yugi did know this much, however, he had to rescue his grandfather. He returned home and saw something at the door. What he thought to be a letter was actually an invitation not explained in words, but in cards. Yugi found that this was an invitation to Pegasus' Duelist Kingdom tournament held on his private island and the ferry would be leaving tomorrow evening.

Yugi wasn't the only one who received a message that night. Joey received a video in the mail containing a message from his little sister Serenity. It had been six years since Joey and Serenity had last seen each other and since their parents' divorce and they had hoped to actually be together once more. But that hope was starting to turn into fear for Serenity would soon lose her sight. Listening to his sister's message, Joey heard that her time was coming and she hoped to be able to see him before she wouldn't see anything anymore. Fearful of his little sister's sight, Joey couldn't bear the thought of her going blind. But as much as he wished there was something he could do to save Serenity's sight, he didn't know how or at what cost.

The next day at school, Yugi finally explained the situation to his friends and presented them with the invitation. Joey, Tristan, Tea, and Emily all listened to Yugi's story and felt that they had to believe him after what he had gone through. They still couldn't understand how something like that could happen to Yugi's grandfather. But still, as much as they wanted to help their friend, they knew they wouldn't be able to go to the island with him unless they had also been personally invited. But that would never be so. Despite the duels they had together, they had never played in tournaments or faced off against experts. But this wasn't about the fame or glory. This was about rescuing Yugi's grandfather. Joey was just as determined to want to help Yugi and take part in the tournament. Hearing that there was a prize of three million dollars for the tournament champion, Joey just knew that the money could save his sister's sight. But the others didn't understand because he didn't explain his reasons for wanting to be part of the tournament.

After school, Yugi and Emily met up with Joey on the roof. Joey usually liked hanging out up there by himself because it helped him to think. After all that had been going on, it seemed like everybody needed time to think. But it also never hurt to talk about anything, so Joey broke the silence and asked, "Yugi, you know I care a lot about your grandpa, right?"

Yugi did know. All of his friends cared.

But Joey was serious. "I _mean_ it. And one way or another, I'll help you get your gramps back."

Yugi sat down beside Joey and sighed. "That means a lot to me, Joey. I'm glad we're friends."

Emily nodded. "Me too. I mean, sure, we're still kind of getting to know each other, but you know what I mean."

Joey did know. In fact, he and Yugi were actually still getting to know each other as well. The truth was Joey was actually one of the bullies who used to torment Yugi. But that soon changed. Yugi explains that it was because of his Millennium Puzzle that he and Joey became friends. He was so amazed with the Puzzle and just knew that it was special. Solomon saw how excited Yugi looked and somewhat challenged him to solve the Millennium Puzzle. It wasn't easy and really irritated him most of the time, but Yugi never gave up and managed to finally put it all together. When he did, he made a wish on the Millennium Puzzle and asked for friends. That was when Joey and Tristan came along. Of course, at that time, they were still bullies and tormented Yugi by playing around with the Millennium Puzzle. Joey even took a piece of the Puzzle and threw it in the water. He thought it was a game to help Yugi to get tough, but Yugi didn't think it was funny.

The real challenge was having to stand up to another bully who was much stronger and merciless than Joey and Tristan. When Yugi saw them both being attacked, he stood up for them. Neither Joey nor Tristan could believe that Yugi would put himself in danger to help someone who mistreated him like they did. That was when they both learned what it meant to be a true friend. Joey even recovered the Puzzle piece he threw out. Since then, the three had become pals and looked out for each other. Even Tea found herself opening up to them and was happy to call them her friends as well.

Hearing that story made something come occur to Emily. "You know, Yugi, maybe your Millennium Puzzle brought me back to you." Although she and Yugi had been friends since elementary school, tragedy befell Emily and forced her to move far away. She had spent many nights wishing she could return to her friends, but there wasn't a moment in time when she didn't think about Yugi. Since they first met each other, Emily had fallen in love with Yugi and spent most of her time with him. She didn't know what it was she admired about Yugi. All she knew was that something about him made her feel safe and happy like she was a princess and he was her prince. But as time passed, that love for him changed. She still had feelings for him, but not like he was her main man. Rather like he was a part of her family. Even now, whenever she's around him, she feels her heart racing and just wants to be with him.

She continues to explain her opinions. "Maybe your wish didn't just give you new friends. Maybe it brought us back together. And to be honest, I kept wishing to come back here and be with you. And then, I found out I was moving here and I thought my prayers had been answered."

Listening to her opinions, Yugi smiles and places his hand over hers. "That could be," he said in agreement. Yugi also had feelings for Emily and would do anything to make her happy. But he didn't love her like he wanted her to be his girl. She was just one of the closest friends he had and they were grateful to each other. Just like how he taught her everything there was to know about Duel Monsters, Emily had given Yugi kindness and compassion. Like Yugi, despite her diminutive height, Emily had a big heart and cared a lot.

As everyone shared and listened to their personal stories, it was clear that nothing would keep them from taking this journey together.

That evening, the ferry to Duelist Kingdom was in town and duelists were boarding one by one. With many of the deck members occupied, Tristan and the girls snuck inside one of the crates being lifted on to the ship. Joey tried to sneak inside one of the lower hatches, but got caught by two guards. Yugi came to his best friend's aid and told the guards that they were together. To prove it, Yugi gave Joey a star chip to present to them. The guards weren't sure about the idea of them entering the tournament by putting themselves at a disadvantage against the other competitors, but it was a risk Yugi was willing to take as long as he would be with his best friend. With that being settled, the guards let Joey and Yugi board the ferry together.

Yugi and Joey both agreed that they had to be careful. They knew that the two guards were right about them being at a disadvantage and that the other competitors would take advantage of them. So they decided not to speak about it. But being careful was already proving to be easier said than done. Already some duelists were starting to recognize Yugi after hearing the story of his duel with Kaiba. One of them was a young woman with blonde hair and primrose eyes named Mai Valentine. She walked up to the boys and pretended to be impressed when in truth, she didn't really care. Hearing a story about one's skill was one thing, but witnessing the event was another. She was quite skeptical about Yugi's victory because she didn't actually see the event. She only would know how good he was by seeing him in action. After introducing herself, Mai walked away and bragged that she would certainly defeat them.

Tea and Emily both saw what happened and they certainly didn't like that obnoxious attitude. It was one thing to put up with it from all the in-crowd kids at school, but this was a completely different person. Tristan understood, but he kept telling the girls to keep low and quiet so they wouldn't get caught. But it wasn't so easy for them to keep still. They were cold and the clothes they had on were doing do little to keep them warm. Tea had her pink blouse and yellow skirt while Emily wore a white dress with lavender and periwinkle flowers.

Looking out at the deck, Tea saw Bakura standing by himself. He was a white-haired, brown eyed Britain who shared most of the same classes with them and even saw some of their duels. Tea wondered if maybe he was in the tournament too.

Inside the ship, Joey didn't appreciate the accommodations. The cabins weren't exactly cabins and their designated areas were like a kindergarten class with few chairs and cubbies. He was about to get into trouble again until Yugi stopped him. The commotion caught the attention of two more elite duelists. Yugi and Joey recognized them from the regional tournament they saw on television. There was the champion, Weevil Underwood, who mastered in the ways of insect-type cards, and there was Rex Raptor, the dinosaur duelist. Just like Yugi knew about their duel in the regionals, they knew of his match with Kaiba. Weevil and Rex were very strong duelists and knew just about every aspect of the game. They knew that once they would get to the island, everybody would be rivals, but they didn't mind scoping out the competition and getting to know their opponents. Even Joey decided to spend some time with the other duelists and trade cards with them to power up his deck.

In another corner of the ship, Mai was just as outraged with the accommodations she was offered. So was Max. Yes, she was also invited by Pegasus to take part in the tournament. In fact, she learned everything about the game from Kaiba and was almost as skilled as he was.

Rex saw Mai and Max blowing smoke and decided to cool them off. "You girls are wasting your time," he was telling them. "The private rooms go to the elite duelists who played in recent tournaments. But why don't you come with me and check out my deluxe pad?" he offered.

Max and Mai had both heard about Rex and his efforts in the regionals. They couldn't believe he would have a much better suite, but nonetheless, they followed him. When they stepped inside, they found that his room was actually very luxurious; the type that made them feel at home. Rex saw that they were enjoying themselves; especially Max. He had seen almost all of her concerts and knew most of her songs by heart. The boy had a serious crush on her and wanted her to be his girl. He would make any impression to win her heart.

Mai and Max had only been friends for a few short hours, but already, they were having fun together like they were best friends. They decided to work together to get the accommodations Rex's room had to offer by playing a game. The game was this: Mai had to guess the name of the card Rex would draw and let her know if she was right or wrong. How many cards she got right would determine the outcome of the game. The wager was this: if Rex defeated them, Mai would kiss him and Max would become his girlfriend. But if he lost, he had to give up his room for the rest of the voyage. Rex was certain he would win and accepted the girls' terms. But this would turn out to be more than he would bargain for. For every card he drew, Mai had never made a wrong guess. When Rex finished drawing all the cards in Mai's deck and told her she got every card right, Mai and Max gathered Rex's stuff and kicked him out of the room.

Joey met up with Yugi and showed him all the new cards he acquired by trading. He obtained two magic cards called Salamandra and Shield and Sword, a new monster called Baby Dragon, and a trap called Kunai with Chain. Yugi was impressed, but figured Joey could use another card to help. So he gave him another monster called Time Wizard. It didn't look like much, but it had special abilities that would come in handy.

Weevil took notice of Yugi and Joey looking over their cards and decided to be a friend to them once again. In curiosity, Weevil asked Yugi for permission to look at his Exodia cards. Yugi wasn't sure at first because the cards were rare and given to him from his grandfather, but he figured it couldn't hurt for Weevil to take a short look.

That was actually a mistake. Rare cards should never be in the hands of someone new even for a short moment because they can be damaged, stolen, even carried away by the forces of nature. Yugi was about to learn that the hard way as Weevil walked to the edge and released the cards, leaving them to be carried by the wind and sent out to sea.

Without thinking, Joey climbed on the rails and jumped into the ocean to retrieve the cards. The waves weren't violent, but the current was strong; making it difficult for Joey to keep himself above the water. Yugi knew that Joey was in trouble and had to get out of there, so he dived right in. Joey retrieved two cards, but his strength gave out and he started to sink. Yugi grabbed Joey and brought him back to the surface, but he wouldn't be able to save himself or his best friend with the current pushing them around.

It was a good thing Tristan and the girls saw them and rescued them. Yugi saw the ladder and helped Joey to climb it. He was thankful that they came when they did. Not that he expected anything more. They all promised that they were a team and would always look out for each other.

Joey came back to his senses and got the water out of his system, but he kept apologizing. "I'm sorry, Yuge. I could only get two of your cards." Yugi appreciated Joey's efforts, but Joey continued to scold himself. "But it's not all right. I try to help, but I just can't. I can't help anyone. I only ending letting everyone down; even my little sister Serenity."

This was the first time anyone heard Joey mention having a sister. He explains his story and tells his friends, "Our parents divorced years ago. She lives far away with my mother. My sister's had real bad eyesight ever since she was born. Eventually, she'll go blind. You see, she sent me a message saying the doctors told her that her time had come. Soon her eyes will be impossible to repair even with surgery. But there are specialists who could perform a surgery that might save her sight. But there's no way I can afford it. That's why I have to win this tournament."

Now that Yugi and the others understood Joey's reason for wanting to enter the tournament, they all promised to help each other. "We'll both do our best, Joey," Yugi promised. "You for your sister and me for my grandpa." Looking out into the horizon, the sun was rising and the island was coming into view.


	6. Into the Hornet's Nest

Into the Hornet's Next

When they finally made it to Duelist Kingdom, Yugi and his friends and all of the other passengers disembarked off the ship. Everyone was taken to the stairwell that led to Pegasus' castle to hear the announcements of the tournament. Finally, Pegasus stood on the balcony and explained the rules and terms of the tournament saying that the key to winning the prize of three million dollars was to acquire ten star chips. The first four finalists to acquire that many star chips would gain entry into the castle where they would compete for the prize and even earn the privilege of facing Pegasus himself.

 _If my grandpa's here, I bet my dueling glove he's hidden somewhere in that castle_ , Yugi wondered, _but I'll never be able to get inside with all of the guards around. We're just going to have to play our way in._

After Pegasus finished explaining the terms of the tournament, he decided to give all the competitors an hour to prepare themselves. _Everything is in place, Yugi has taken the bait, and his Millennium Puzzle will be mine._

As Yugi and Joey took their time to prepare, Joey started having second thoughts about competing. "Yugi, I don't know if I can do this. Maybe you'd better take your star chip back."

But Yugi insisted that Joey should keep it. "Your sister's counting on you to win the prize money," he reminded him. Joey still didn't feel too sure. Most of the competitors were experts and he was still a novice compared to them. But he remembered the promise he was made about not having to face this tournament alone. So with the support of his friends and his determination to help Serenity, Joey decided that he would compete after all. At that moment, the fireworks were set off in the sky signaling that the tournament had now begun.

"So, Yugi, who do you think you wanna face first," Joey wondered.

Right now, Yugi was considering wanting to face Weevil. After all, they had a score to settle after that stunt he pulled on the ship. Right when Yugi said that, Tea spotted the insect duelist in their sight. At that moment, he called out to him. "Weevil, I challenge you to a duel!"

Weevil heard, but said nothing. He instead turned around and began running into the woods. Yugi and his friends pursued him, wondering what he was up to. Weevil said he was looking forward to having a duel with Yugi once they would get to the island, so what was he running away for? Their pursuit wasn't easy with a swarm of moths in their way and the forest being deep.

Finally, they all stopped in the middle of a wide open area. "Welcome, said the spider to the fly," Weevil greeted. "You just stepped right into a hornet's nest and fell into my trap again."

Yugi didn't know what he was talking about, but didn't care. He just took a few steps towards Weevil and his Millennium Puzzle started activating again. It was now time for Yami to take over. "All right, Weevil, time to see if you're good at dueling as you are at running away."

"Was I simply running away or was I cleverly weaving you into my web?" Weevil asked. Again, Yami said it was time to duel. Finally, Weevil accepted his challenge and from below the ground, a dueling arena appeared. Several arenas had been set up all over the island in many different places adding a new twist to the game. Yami would soon learn what this was all about as the duel would progress. For now, the stakes had to be made. Yami decided to make this an all-or-nothing match by wagering his only star chip and Duel Monsters deck for both of Weevil's star chips. Weevil knew he would be a fool to pass this up, so he agreed. He felt confident that by defeating Yami and gaining his deck, everyone else on the island would be easy to defeat and he would surely get into the castle.

The stage was set and both players were ready. The match hadn't started yet, but already it was grabbing the attention of several other competitors. They didn't expect to see these two face off at the start of the tournament. They also didn't think a new kid like Yugi would stand a chance against the regional champion. But Joey, Tristan, Tea, and Emily all believed in their friend.

Yami made the first move by playing the Mammoth Graveyard, a monster with an attack strength of 1200. Not bad for a first play. Weevil made his first move by playing a wasp-like monster called Killer Needle. Its attack power was equal to that of Yami's beast, but Weevil had another surprise in store. When everybody saw the Killer Needle defeat the Mammoth Graveyard, they were confused and knew that the fight should have been a stalemate. It was because of the field power bonus the arena provided, raising the Killer Needle's attack points by thirty percent.

Looking closely at the arena, the landscape was divided into two halves. One half being a forest and the other being a wasteland. The forest area provided insect-based monsters a field power bonus raising their attack and defense by thirty percent. Now Yami knew why Weevil led him to this arena; because he knew he'd have an unfair advantage. But when Yami looked at the field again, he saw that Weevil's Killer Needle was disappearing from the field. Looking at the scoreboard, Yami saw that his Mammoth received a field power bonus from the wasteland area; meaning that the fight was a stalemate after all.

Now Yami understood why the tournament had been set up on such a remote island with so many different landscapes. Each monster had its own natural habitat and these different landscapes gave them a home field advantage. But even though Yami now knew this, there was nothing he could do to change his deck. Weevil only knew by stealing the tournament rules and looking over them before anyone else. It was clear that the regional champion was no more than a rat who needed to lie and cheat to ensure victory.

Yami made his next move by summoning a cute green fiend known as the Feral Imp and Weevil summoned another insect called Hercules Beetle; stronger thanks to the field power bonus. The wasteland didn't provide one for Yami's Imp, so a combo was in order. The Horn of the Unicorn magic card raised the Imp's attack power, but its assault was backfired, causing its own destruction and dropping Yami's life points to 1350. As it turned out, monsters that received a field power bonus were resistant to any magical assaults.

When Weevil played a simple monster known as the Basic Insect, Yami knew his strategy right away. This was the same monster he played to defeat Rex in the regional match. It was weak now, but Weevil powered it up with a Laser Cannon magic card and took out the monster Yami played in defense mode before having his Imp attack. Proud of himself, Weevil continued to boast and brag as he built up his arsenal. Yami saw that Weevil was so busy shooting his mouth off, he wasn't paying attention to any of Yami's moves. That gave him an idea to play a trick of his own. Yami knew that Weevil wouldn't resist a target like Dark Magician, so he played his favorite monster along with a face down card. Finally, Weevil's arsenal was built up with five insects and one trap and he was ready to attack. But Yami had a trap of his own set and was ready. When Weevil ordered his Basic Insect to attack, Yami revealed his hidden trap Mirror Force, reflecting the attack back at Weevil, destroying his army, and seriously damaging his life points.

The combination Weevil played out with his Basic Insect was impressive, but not his greatest move. The pest actually had another strategy waiting in the midst. Before it could be played out, however, he had to protect his life points. In mock hopelessness, he said there was nothing he could do except play a simple bug. But Yami saw right through Weevil's bluff and remembered that he still had a trap on the field. So he played Monster Recovery, a magic card that allowed him to withdraw his monsters, reshuffle his deck, draw a new hand, and even sacrifice a monster to reveal Weevil's trap and destroy it. The card he sacrificed was Kuriboh and only cost Yami 300 life points.

But the real joke was on Yami. Weevil wanted him to withdraw his monster so he wouldn't attack his hidden monster, revealed as Larvae Moth. It was weaker than the Basic Insect, but it had many hidden abilities. To begin his strategy, Weevil played the Cocoon of Evolution and the Larvae Moth became a cocoon.

Yami had to think of a way to crush that Cocoon and fast for in five turns, it would emerge as a powerful insect called the Great Moth. He played his Fierce Knight and ordered it to attack, but the field power bonus made the Cocoon too strong to even attack. As a result, Yami lost 300 hundred life points.

But Joey, Tristan, Tea, and Emily continued to support Yami by cheering for him. They believed he would find a way to crush the Cocoon of Evolution before the Great Moth would emerge. Watching the match and listening to their cheers, Mai laughed, finding it all ridiculous. Tea noticed her and asked, "Just what do you think you're laughing at?"

"All that stupid cheerleading you're doing," she answered. "Don't you see that it's distracting Yugi from the game?"

"Not like he really has a chance," said Max. "Weevil's the regional champion. No one's ever even defeated his Great Moth."

Tea and Emily couldn't stand to hear them talk like that. "Nobody asked you," Tea told them, "so take a hike."

"And miss the chance to see Weevil crush Yugi," Mai asked. "No, thanks."

"He won't lose," Emily told her. "Weevil relies on his cheating ways to win. But Yugi has our support to see him through."

"Friends haven't helped Yugi any," Mai argued. "It takes more than that to win duels."

"How would you know," Tea asked, in a smart remark. "I bet no one's ever wanted to be your friend, let alone care enough to cheer you on."

The sad truth was, Tea was right. But it didn't bother Mai that she didn't have friends. She was a lone wolf and did things in her own way. Max was the same way.

Four turns passed and after listening to his friends argue with Mai and Max, Yami finally had an idea. He tried again for another combo by playing Curse of Dragon and a Burning Land magic card to destroy the forest, thus returning the Cocoon's power to the way it was. Now Gaia could attack again without damaging Yami's life points. The Fierce Knight attacked, but didn't destroy it. The Great Moth had actually evolved enough to survive. Its Hurricane Wind was strong enough to destroy both of Yami's monsters, but he was able to save them by combining them together to form Gaia the Dragon Champion. But it wouldn't be safe. By attacking, the Great Moth released poison particles in the air, lowering the Dragon Champion's attack points with each passing second. But rather than wait for his attack points to drop to zero, Weevil attacked once again leaving Yami with fifty life points.

Mai and Max were about to boast again, realizing that Yami's friends weren't cheering now. Not even they could think of a way to defeat the Great Moth. It was clear that the match had been in Weevil's favor all along. But the others noticed that Yami was actually laughing and wondered if he had a plan.

As it turned out, he did. He found a way to remove the poison particles in the air and destroy the Great Moth. Another combo was in order starting with another magic card called Makiu the Magical Mist. The effect of the card brought down a drizzle, washing everything away and soaking the Great Moth. And the best part was, thanks to this card, Yami could play his Summoned Skull. Because this fiend attacks with lightning, the mist raised his attack points by 700, 500 points stronger than the Great Moth. When Summoned Skull attacked with his Lightning Strike, it was like fireworks were sparking. And with that, the duel came to an end as Weevil's life points dropped to zero.

Tea and Emily hugged each other as they cheered. "He won! We knew he could do it!"

Mai and Max both stared, admitting that was pretty cool. "Impressive," Max said coldly, not really sounding like she was impressed.

"I didn't think Yugi could beat Weevil," Mai said with the same tone.

Weevil left the arena and got down on his knees. "But I'm the regional champion," he whined, "The regional champion!"

Emily walked up to Weevil and looked down at him with her hands on her hips. "You call yourself a champion, but you only won your duels by cheating," she scolded. Weevil was taken in by her voice, so he looked up at her to listen to her. When he did, he gazed in wonder. Emily smiles at Yami and adds, "True champions, they play with honor. They play admirably."

Joey walks up to Weevil and tells Emily, "Ah, don't waste your breath on this loser, Em. He's a dueling disgrace. And I hereby relieve him of his dueling glove." So it was settled. Yami won Weevil's two star chips and Joey would be wearing his dueling glove. Now he would truly be a competitor in the tournament.

Watching her walk away with her friends, Weevil couldn't take his eyes off of Emily. Not only did he find her voice enchanting, but he thought she was beautiful like a butterfly. He was upset that he lost his first duel in the tournament, but he suddenly found himself feeling happy like he had just met his dream girl. It was clear that Weevil was in love with Emily just as Rex was in love with Max. He even had a feeling he would see her again. And when he would, he would do anything necessary to make her his girl.


	7. Winning Duels and Making new Friends

Winning Duels and Making new Friends

Mai was impressed with Yugi's victory, but not completely satisfied. Other than that, as much as she enjoyed tormenting her own opponents, she didn't feel like she was being challenged. After winning a few of her own duels and acquiring five star chips, Mai decided to take advantage of the matter.

When she met up with Yugi and the gang, she told them how eager she was for another duel. Having had enough of her obnoxious attitude, Tea insisted that Yugi should take her on and eliminate her from the contest. But Mai actually wanted to take on Joey. Like the tactic of many other duelists, Mai always took out those she deemed weak and saved the best for last.

At first, Joey didn't seem too sure, but he accepted her challenge. He knew he would have to face his first duel sooner or later. What he was really afraid of was losing his only star chip and his only chance of helping Serenity. By wanting to take part in the tournament, he promised to do everything he could to keep her from losing her sight. Serenity has looked up to Joey all her life and Joey knew that being her big brother, it was his job to take care of her and always be there for her. Although he was nervous, he wouldn't let that stand in his way.

That was when Joey asked Mai what she was dueling for. On a selfish note, Mai was in it for the prizes. She enjoyed the wealth the prize money offered so she could spend it on many luxuries like fine jewelry, designer clothes, and travel perks. Mai was just one of the many people who enjoyed living large without having to work for anything. Disgusted with Mai's answer, Joey told her that there was a lot more to fight for than just things. But knowing she would just stubbornly refuse to listen to reason, Joey figured the only way to get through to her was to duel her. So finally, he got his determination and told Mai to bring it on.

The dueling arena was divided into three different landscapes: mountain, meadow, and forest. Joey's deck was built up with mostly warrior-type monsters and would get a field power bonus from the meadow. As for Mai, she had ways of intimidating her opponents starting with a few tricks. Instead of holding her cards in her hand, she laid them all face down on the table. Then she began humming and slowly moving her hands above them. Finally, she played her monster, a winged beast called Harpy Lady. Not only did the mountain landscape provide a field power bonus, but it was resistant to the attacks of earth-based monsters like Joey's warriors.

As the duel continued, Mai powered up her Harpy Lady and played every move like she really was psychic, causing Joey to lose his concentration and his patience. He couldn't even play a single monster to match Mai's Harpy Lady. Tristan, Tea, and Emily saw that Joey was in trouble and needed help, but didn't know what to do. Yugi decided to talk some sense into Joey to help him keep it together and keep Mai from getting into his head. Finally, Joey took a few deep breaths and closed his eyes to try to relax. Just then, Joey noticed a strange scent wafting through the area; many different scents. Now he was onto Mai's game. All of the cards in her deck had been sprayed with different perfumes so she could tell which one was which. That didn't change the duel itself, however. It was still in Mai's favor and she now had three Harpy Ladies in play.

Thinking about how the entire duel has been played out, Joey noticed that Mai had only been battling with one monster and using all of her cards to support that one monster. Joey started to wonder if he found the fatal flaw in Mai's deck. But still, he didn't know if he could find a way to defeat the three Harpy Ladies. The odds were against him, but he had to believe in his deck. And his belief came through for him as he drew the card Yugi gave him. So he played his Baby Dragon and Time Wizard together. The Wizard's Time Magic caused a millennium to pass, aging Joey's Baby Dragon into Thousand Dragon and crippling Mai's Harpies. And with that one attack, all of Mai's life points went down to zero.

Mai was disappointed with herself for her loss, but it wasn't a total loss for she lost only one star chip. But still, she wondered if her way was the wrong way after all. She always enjoyed her victories, but didn't actually think she could learn anything from her losses. Confused, she kept quiet. She didn't even whine or complain about her defeat. Yugi and the others, on the other hand, were proud of Joey for his victory. He really had changed a lot over these past few days. He went from a guy with nothing but eagerness and attitude to a guy who fights with his strength and his heart.

Proud of himself for his first victory, Joey continued to boast and brag. It was starting to become very irritating for the others. Not only that, but everybody found themselves feeling tired and hungry. None of them had actually eaten anything since yesterday and dueling actually took it out on them. Joey and Yugi needed their strength. Nobody was sure what to do. They didn't bring anything with them to eat and hadn't seen any stands or restaurants. Again, Joey's sense of smell started to kick in as he smelled something cooking.

Joey's nose led him and his friends to a cliff on the island where fish was sitting near a fire as it was being cooked. An empty stomach was never something Joey or Tristan could ignore. Tea and Emily, on the other hand, had more self-control and always thought before acting. They had to consider that just because the fish was just left to sit, didn't mean that it was theirs to take. But Joey and Tristan would learn that the hard way and the meal's rightful owner climbed up the cliff.

Yugi recognized him right away. He was Mako Tsunami, the ocean duelist who ranked third in the regional tournament. He seemed scary at first when he started scolding Joey and Tristan for stealing his lunch, but he turned out to be a nice guy after Yugi introduced himself. After that, Mako felt happy to share his meal with the gang.

With full stomachs and their strength back, Yugi and the gang were ready to head out, but Mako stopped them. It turned out that he had done this with his previous opponents. He would treat them to a meal or a snack in exchange for a duel and this was no different. He was looking forward to a match with Yugi. Yami took over and accepted Mako's challenge and a dueling arena appeared before them. The landscape of the arena was laid out like a beach. Yugi's deck didn't contain sea-based monsters and could only fight on land. That was of no concern to Mako. The ocean was his home field advantage.

They each wagered two star chips. Yami knew right away that he had to be careful for the ocean would conceal all of Mako's monsters and he wouldn't know what he would be up against. For starters, he summoned the Horn Imp in attack mode. Mako played his monster in attack mode as well. It was called Fiend Kracken and it squeezed the life out of Yami's beast as well as the life points out of him. Since Yami couldn't see Mako's monster, a head-on attack was pointless. So he decided to try a combo attack and summoned the Feral Imp. But this was a combo Mako was very familiar with, so he played a Jellyfish. Without thinking or taking any chances, Yami played his Horn of the Unicorn to raise his Imp's attack power and attack with Magic Lightning. Being a sea-based duelist, Mako knew the strengths and weaknesses of the creatures that inhabited the ocean. The fact that his monsters were weak against electricity and that water conducted electricity was a no-brainer for Mako. That was why he played his Jellyfish; its ability included the power to absorb electricity.

Every lesson Mako learned made him reflect the harsh pain of his life. His life began with the sea and his father was one of the strongest and courageous fishermen he ever knew. Mako knew that sometimes the ocean can be a friend, but can also be a foe. Just as humans have emotions and express them in different ways, so does the sea. Mako had learned to be strong and to learn from his challenges after losing his father to that terrible storm. That was why he was in the tournament; to win and one day have a vessel of his own to search for his lost father.

Everyone was touched by Mako's story. Even Yami's heart went out to him. They both dueled for a loved one and would do everything for that loved one. That was why neither of them would hold back. They agreed to give it their all and duel honorably. With that being settled, Yami decided he had to be adaptive with the sea if he was to learn all of its strengths and weaknesses. So he played a wolf called Silver Fang and raised its attack points with the Mystical Moon magic card. But the card also benefited Mako as it raised the tides and left Yami with little land to stand on. Mako played another sea-based monster, a blue eel called Kyuri-oshin. The tides carried the wolf away and the eel squeezed the life out of him.

To defend his life points, Yami played the Giant Soldier of Stone. Mako continued to build up his arsenal by summon Great White Terror to the field. As the mightiest creature of the sea, the shark had the power to command Mako's other monsters and lead them for an onslaught. But Yami found a way to turn the duel around. He switched his Soldier into attack mode and destroyed the Moon he played himself, causing the tides to recede and the ocean to be drained. Now the stage was set for the final assault. Yami summoned his Curse of Dragon and combined it with the Burning Land card to raise its power and destroy all of Mako's monsters and his life points.

Mako was sad for his loss, but at the same time, he was happy that he got to play such a thrilling duel. Besides, he wasn't out of the tournament yet. But he decided to start over again. Yami knew for certain that he would do well and become stronger. The others just couldn't help but like Mako. He was a good sport and they didn't always come across people like that. And although he was serious and sounded a little dramatic, he had a gentle side as well. That made them hope that he would find his father someday. They even knew for sure that they would be meeting their new friend again.

With that being settled, Yugi and Mako shook hands and started to go their own ways. Mako found himself feeling hungry again and went back into the ocean to swim and catch more fish. Everyone else was still satisfied from their fill and ready to explore the rest of the island for new competition.


	8. The Kaiba Brothers' Battle

The Kaiba Brothers' Battle

Inside the castle, Pegasus' right hand man Croquet noticed that one of the prisoners had escaped. Pegasus didn't appreciate being disturbed during his personal spare time, but Croquet alerted him of the matter anyway. Pegasus wasn't too concerned. He had a feeling he knew where his escapee was heading. He checked the status of the tournament and learned that in the past six hours since its commencement, twelve participants had been eliminated from the island. What really interested Pegasus was the status of Yugi winning five star chips. He would be keeping a close eye on the boy as the tournament would progress.

Continuing their journey around the island, Yugi and his friends noticed one of Pegasus' henchmen carrying a young boy away. They followed him to the dock where many of the eliminated competitors where waiting and would be taken home. The boy tried to explain that he was a competitor, but his star chips and deck had been stolen. It wasn't fair of him to be removed for that, so Yugi and his friends promised to recover the boy's possessions before the boat would depart.

There was no way of knowing what to do. For now, all they could do was wait at the arena where the boy was challenged and stake out the scene of the crime. Perhaps if they waited, the thief would return. That was an old trick they were familiar with. A deviant would wait for his victim, play a trick by pretending to challenge them to a duel, then steal them blind.

As Yugi predicted, the thief did return. He was much smaller even than Yugi. No doubt this was a child. Despite that, it was Yugi he had been waiting for and wanted to face. Yugi didn't know what it was this boy wanted from him, but nonetheless, he accepted his challenge and wagered all five of his star chips. Despite the many times they had seen Yugi duel, the gang wondered if it was actually their friend. It was like he was a whole other person. They even wondered what it was Yugi saw that they didn't. Almost as if he was looking into the souls of his opponents.

And it seemed exactly like that. Finally, after the first move when they boy started going on about cards being about power, Yami recognized that attitude and found out that his challenger was Mokuba Kaiba. The boy lowered his bandana and removed his hat to reveal his features and show the others that he was right.

Mokuba explained his story to Yami and the others. After his brother's loss to Yugi, Kaiba wasn't the same anymore. He even refused his invitation to Duelist Kingdom, saying he was in no condition to duel. He felt like a part of him, or rather all of him had been taken and shattered. He wasn't sure about anything anymore; not even his dueling methods or what kind of person he was, so he set out on a journey to find himself.

After Kaiba left, some company executives called for a meeting with Pegasus himself and planned a takeover of the company. But as long as either of the Kaibas were around, they wouldn't be able to claim it. Even Pegasus was aware of the corporate by-laws stating that only a Kaiba heir could maintain control of the company. So it was decided that the elder Kaiba brother would meet with tragedy and Mokuba would be kept prisoner. But there was something else to consider. Kaiba's loss to Yugi also tarnished the company name and they wanted to restore the company to the glory it once knew. They said that Yugi had to be defeated in a duel by Pegasus or a competitor representing him. The executives told Pegasus that if he agreed to personally take care of Yugi and the Kaiba brothers, they would leave the company in his control. So the plan was settled. Pegasus succeeded in kidnapping Mokuba and sent his henchmen to seek out Seto while he would observe Yugi's progress in the tournament.

Mokuba heard their plan and wanted to keep it from coming to pass. That was why he sought Yugi out after escaping from the castle. If he could eliminate Yugi from the tournament, Pegasus wouldn't get a chance to duel him and the takeover would end in failure. Mokuba also knew Pegasus and his lackeys would only keep him safe until the takeover would be a complete success. So if Yugi would be eliminated from the tournament and Mokuba would be kept alive, Pegasus wouldn't be able to control KaibaCorp.

Yami and the gang understood Mokuba's story and wanted to help him, but he wanted to stay by his plan of eliminating Yugi even if disqualifying him meant stealing his star chips. Mokuba tried to escape, but the others wouldn't let him go. Finally, Yami was able to reason with Mokuba and tell him that he would never be able to help his brother if he kept this up. Even he knew deep down that what he was doing was wrong. Yami also explained to Mokuba what happened after the duel when he freed Kaiba's mind of the dark influences clouding it. Kaiba was lost and confused and needed to find himself. Finally, Mokuba put his trust in Yami and agreed to help Kaiba and stop Pegasus together.

They returned to the dock, but the boat was already gone. Mokuba held out his hand to reveal the star chips he stole, but the head guard Kemo pushed his hand aside, causing Mokuba to lose his grip and drop the stars in the water. Two of those star chips belonged to Yami, but he still had his remaining three. Kemo's only priority right now was getting Mokuba back to the castle, so he grabbed the boy. Yami declared a challenge and demanded Mokuba's freedom if he won. Kemo said he would consider it. Until then, he wanted Yami and the gang to meet him at arena 146.

Far away and on the mainland, Kaiba resided in his private home where he was working on his latest project, the duel disk. At the same time, he was looking for ways to understand what happened in his duel with Yugi and what caused him to lose. Kaiba knew that he had always been relying on brute force, but he also began to wonder if the cards had heart. Despite all odds being against him, Yugi refused to give in because his friends and his grandfather believed in him. But the only way for Kaiba to be certain was to challenge Yugi one more time. That would confirm his suspicions.

Kaiba's concentration was suddenly broken by the sound of banging on the door. One man spoke up and demanded, "Give it up, Kaiba. We know you're in there."

"Open the door or we'll break it down," another said as they resumed banging. Quickly, Kaiba placed his two prototypes in his briefcase and got on his feet. Just as they warned, the two men broke down the door. "Let's go, Kaiba. Mr. Pegasus would like to have a few words with you."

Kaiba didn't react in fear to their empty threats. He just kept calm and spoke with his smart remarks. "I bet he would. Well, I have no intention of going with you two goons."

The two lackeys didn't have the patience for his antics, but they gave him one last chance. "This can go easy or we can snap you in two, wise guy."

"You'll never take me alive!" Kaiba cried and kicked the chair towards them. With the lackeys down, he took his briefcase and jumped from the window.

Pegasus' lackeys got back on their feet and tried to catch Kaiba, but as they looked down, they saw nothing but a cliff and the ocean. They were pretty surprised with what had just happened, as if Kaiba just made their job easier and removed himself from the picture. Now all that was left was his deck. "Let's go," one of them said, looking through Kaiba's deck. "Pegasus made it clear that he wants the deck with the deadly Blue-Eyes White Dragon." With their job done, they took the deck with them to Duelist Kingdom and presented it to their master.

Back on the island, Yami and the others met up with Kemo at the designated arena. Someone else was waiting for all of them. They all looked up and saw the figure on the left end of the platform. Looking closely, he looked like - but he couldn't be, could he?

"That's right, Yugi," the stranger was saying, "It's me, Kaiba, and this time, you don't stand a ghost of a chance in a duel against me." He paused for a moment, then added, "Because I am a ghost."

Kemo saw that everybody was confused, so he explained, "He met with an unfortunate end earlier, but now he's come back just to duel you, Yugi. It's true. Two witnesses saw him fall to his doom."

"Liar!" Mokuba protested. "Take back what you said!" Even the others agreed that this wasn't the Kaiba they knew. But they weren't sure whether or not to believe Kemo's words about him meeting with tragedy. Whoever this imposter was, clearly he was sent by Pegasus to duel Yugi on his behalf. With Mokuba's freedom on the line and the promise he made to help him, Yami knew that this was a match he couldn't back out on. And since this was an official Duelist Kingdom match, he had to make a wager. So he put all three of his remaining star chips on the table once he took his place.

The Kaiba imposter made the same opening move as the original Kaiba did in their first duel and played the Hitotsu-Me Giant in attack mode. Mokuba remembered that his brother had the same card in his deck, but Joey and the others kept assuring him that this wasn't the same deck. But there would be no way of knowing for sure after the first move. Even Yami felt like this trickster was trying to mess with his head. Even if he could duel like Kaiba, he would still never amount to the real one with that emotionless annoyance. Another thing Yami knew was that this duel had to be played out differently if he were to keep it together. Also, the quicker he played it out, the sooner Mokuba would be rescued. So Yami made his first move by summoning his Dark Magician to the field and destroying the Giant, seriously damaging his opponent's life points. Yami ended his turn by playing two cards face down.

But this imposter was confident he would defeat Yami. And he would prove it by playing his next card, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Everyone stared in shock. They knew that only one deck contained that card. Three of that monster, in fact. For this fiend to be armed with Kaiba's deck made them wonder if Yami really was facing the ghost of the rich spoiled brat they know and loath.

But it wasn't him. Kaiba never met with tragedy at all. When he jumped from the window, he never fell in the water. He saved himself by catching the edge of the cliff and pulling himself up. With Pegasus' lackeys still on guard, Kaiba had to get to his mansion undetected. Thankfully for him, he had the home field advantages and knew the location of the secret passages that would gain him entry. Like in action movies, Kaiba carefully snuck past the guards and got into the courtyard. He found a chain in the ground and pulled it up, revealing a hidden door. The tunnel led him to the library on the lower level containing a private surveillance room.

Kaiba was aware of what was going on during his personal journey, including the takeover of KaibaCorp and his brother being Pegasus' prisoner. He had to keep himself hidden for as long as he could to keep Pegasus and his lackeys convinced that he was gone, but he also had to stop the takeover from being complete even if that meant helping Yugi. Kaiba was still upset and confused, but that was the least of his problems for now. Whether Kaiba liked it or not, he had to keep Yugi from losing a duel in order to ensure his brother's safety and stop the takeover. For now, he had to infiltrate the Duelist Kingdom and hack into the tournament database to locate Yami. Until then, Yami would have to hold his own in his duel.

But how long would that last? The monster that insured Yami's victory was gone from his deck and facing the Blue-Eyes White Dragon was going to be a real challenge. Finally, the Kaiba imposter made his move and attacked. Before the attack could land, Yami saved his Magician by playing his Magical Hats, hiding his Magician in four Hats. Well, three now that one had been destroyed. But the Dark Magician wasn't the only thing being concealed. But the imposter would know the answer to what else was there on his next move. And when he did make his next move, the hidden trap was revealed as the Spellbinding Circle, trapping the White Dragon in a magic ring and draining 700 attack points. The Dark Magician emerged from the Hat he was hiding under and attacked the White Dragon. But another White Dragon was summoned to the field to destroy the Dark Magician in its fallen comrade's place. Now Yami knew for certain that this was Kaiba's deck, but he still knew that his opponent wasn't the real Kaiba.

Finally, Kaiba was able to infiltrate the Duelist Kingdom database and locate Yami. Kaiba saw that Yami was in trouble and needed help. With the Dark Magician gone, Kaiba knew that he wouldn't stand much of a chance. The only way to take down the White Dragon was to weaken it. Kaiba felt no sense of regret infecting his favorite monster with a virus to help his rival, but that wouldn't last long.

The imposter wanted to end the duel fast and not take any more chances, so he played a Stop Defense card, forcing Yami to play his monsters only in attack mode. None of the monsters in Yami's hand came close to the White Dragon's power. All he could do was play his Feral Imp. Just when the imposter was about to have Blue-Eyes White Dragon attack, the virus started to take effect, but the Dragon was still strong enough to obliterate the rest of Yami's life points.

Worried, Kaiba called out to Yugi like he was concerned for his friend. "Yugi!" Yami heard Kaiba's voice in his head and the arena lit up with a blinding light as it surrounded the ill Dragon. No one could believe what they just saw. Not even Kaiba could believe what just happened. This couldn't have been Yami's doing because this was Kaiba's monster and - then it finally hit Kaiba. It was his monster and the Dragon's destruction was like it heard his voice and understood his wish. That made him start to see that Yami was right all along and the cards did have heart. But it didn't take long for him to realize that. His hiding place had been discovered and Pegasus' lackeys were coming for him. There was no time to inject the final Blue-Eyes White Dragon with a virus. He had to put his faith in Yami and hope he would be able to hold his own in the rest of the duel.

There was no point in keeping up the charade now that everyone knew for certain that Kaiba was alive. Finally, the imposter removed his disguise as Kaiba and revealed himself as the ugly being he was. He wasn't Kaiba, but he was a part of him. He explained to Yami that he was the dark side of him that was banished to the Shadow Realm after their first duel and was back for revenge thanks to Pegasus. But his revenge wouldn't be complete until the duel was won. For now, he had to wait it out until he could summon the final White Dragon and all he could do was defend his life points. Yami had an idea on how to win the duel, so he summoned his Mystical Elf. Her offense was less than her defense, but Yami knew how to take advantage of the matter. He was also able to attack with his Imp with his usual combo.

After two turns of defending himself, the imposter finally drew the final Dragon and used it to attack. Yami revealed his hidden trap Mirror Force to reflect the attack, but the imposter stopped it with his own hidden trap Negate Attack and neutralized the blast. Now the stage was set for Yami to make his last move. He played a Monster Reborn magic card, allowing him to resurrect any monster that had been destroyed in the duel no matter who played it. And he chose Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Both Dragons on the field seemed equal in power, but Yami's was actually stronger thanks to his Elf. She cast a spell on the field and transferred all of her power to raise the Dragon's for a total of 4100. This move was inspired by the help of his friend and the monster he resurrected belonged to that friend so he could help him in return.

"Consider this a message from the real Seto Kaiba," Yami cried, "You lose!" and the White Dragon attacked with its White Lightning. The blast surrounded the imposter's Dragon and made him cry out in fear. "Pegasus may have helped you escape from the Shadow Realm once before, but it won't happen again. Never again!" And Yami sent him back to the Shadow Realm. Yami also knew that Pegasus was watching him, but that changed nothing. He gave him a message vowing to rescue his grandfather's soul and make sure that Pegasus would pay for all the people he had hurt.

And Pegasus was carefully observing the duel. During his observation, he sensed that Yugi had been tapping into the powers of his Millennium Puzzle and how quickly his powers have developed in such a short amount of time. He was even more determined to face Yugi in a duel and acquire his Millennium Puzzle.

Now that the duel was over, Yugi recovered Kaiba's deck and decided to hold onto it. But the rest of his problems weren't over yet. Looking around, Yugi and his friends saw that Mokuba was gone. They looked around, but it was clear that Kemo had taken him back to the castle. Now Yugi had one more incentive to face Pegasus and set things right. Not only was his grandfather's soul on the line, but so was Mokuba's freedom and the fate of Kaiba's company.


	9. Joey's Toughest Test

Joey's Toughest Test

Far away on another part of the island, Mai and Max continued to acquire star chips to compete in the Duelist Kingdom playoffs. But they weren't too pleased with themselves for their victories. For one, Max didn't feel challenged and Mai hadn't taken pleasure in tormenting her opponents since her loss to Joey. Neither one of them had lost the will to go on. They just hadn't been feeling like themselves lately. Mai and Max talked it over and decided to save their last duel for someone worthy. They both had acquired eight star chips and decided to face each other in the finals to determine who was the better duelist.

A few minutes later, Rex finally found Mai and Max. He still had a score to settle with them for what happened on the voyage. Immediately, he challenged Mai for a real battle. Mai didn't think it would be worthwhile dueling Rex at first, but Max decided that she should humiliate Rex even further. Max spoke up and said that she and Mai would both accept Rex's challenge under one condition. He had to face Joey first. Only by defeating him would Rex earn the privilege to face them. Rex didn't care if this was a scheme or not. He would do anything to prove his worth of winning Max's heart and getting his revenge on Mai.

Yugi and the gang knew that it would be pointless to search the island for Mokuba. All they could do was play their way around the island and gain entry into the castle. Unfortunately, Max and Mai met up with the gang. Those two in their presence only meant that they were about to cause them more trouble. Mai told Joey she had a score to settle with him after their last duel and presented the twist of Rex dueling on her behalf. Looking at Joey and thinking of him as an amateur, Rex felt confident that he could easily win against him. He couldn't believe that this rookie could possible defeat an expert like Mai nor could he believe that Mai and Max would agree to duel him if he beat Joey. Joey just couldn't believe that Rex would reduce himself to being their attack dog after hearing their deal.

The duel was going to be played out with strict regulations. It would be all right for Joey's friends to cheer for him throughout the duel, but under no circumstances was he to receive any advice or disguising hints. Yugi and the others knew that this would be too much for Joey to handle on his own, but he agreed to accept the conditions. Joey had enough of feeling like everybody thinking he was helpless and couldn't do anything and he wanted to prove he could be his own person. Tristan tormented Joey and told him he was being immature. Joey had enough. Unable to control his rage, he gathered his strength and hit his long-time pal. Tristan got the message and decided to let Joey have his way. Seeing him walk away, Yugi asked Tea and Emily to stay with Joey while he would talk to Tristan.

Seeing only the girls standing by, Joey started feeling bitter towards himself and thinking he was wrong to push everyone aside. He couldn't help anyone else without first helping himself, however. He had to prove his strength and fight on his own. Looking down at his hand, Joey thought he could win an easy victory as he saw the two cards that led him to his victory in his last duel. Immediately, he placed them both on the field.

But Rex was aware of how Joey defeated Mai and knew his strategy. He summoned his loyal dinosaur, the Two-Headed King Rex, and crushed Joey's Baby Dragon. An amateur mistake on Joey's part. He learned the hard way not to play out his strategy on the first move. He had to be careful not to let that happen again. But with his combo move out of the way, Joey didn't know how else he could use the Time Wizard. Until he could find a way, he decided to keep it on the field. For now, all Joey could do was defend his life points until he could find a way to match Rex's dinosaurs.

Yugi found Tristan sitting near the edge of a small river brushing off his scrapes and grumbling to himself. Tristan took notice of his friend and wondered, "Yugi, why aren't you at the arena helping Joey?"

"Joey made it clear he didn't want my help," Yugi answered. Tristan couldn't believe that Yugi would let Joey have his selfish and immature way. Usually, Yugi would talk some sense into Joey, but this was actually a piece of wisdom his friends needed to learn. Yugi knew that Joey's choice was selfish and perhaps senseless, but he let him have his way to show it as a sign of faith. If Yugi went back on his word and tried to help his best friend, Joey would be disqualified. Plus, it would only give Joey the idea that none of his friends believe in him and think he is helpless. Tristan understood, but still didn't think that Joey should be alone. So he and Yugi agreed to rejoin the girls and watch the rest of Joey's duel.

Joey actually managed to find a weakness in Rex's dinosaur arsenal. The prehistoric pack was vulnerable to the element of fire. A lucky comeback on Joey's part for his Flame Swordsman was one of the strongest warriors in his deck and a fire-based monster. Rex spent most of his turns defending his life points as his dinosaurs got incinerated until finally, he found a monster capable of taking the heat. Rex played a creature that wasn't a dinosaur, but a dragon. Serpentine Night Dragon, to be exact, with an attack power of 2350; 450 attack points stronger than the Flame Swordsman.

Joey knew for sure that there wasn't a monster in his deck that could overpower the vicious Night Dragon. But he believed in his deck and his faith came through as he drew Lava Battleguard. It was the monster Tristan decided to lend him before the run-in with Mai and Max. After drawing that card, Joey finally understood the meaning behind it all. Tristan always looked out for Joey not because he thought he was helpless, but because that's what a friend is for. Now Joey learned that he was wrong to ungratefully push his friends aside and try to prove his own strength on his own because he would never truly be alone.

Looking at the sidelines, Joey saw that all of his friends were present and was grateful to them for being here with him. To show it, he played Tristan's Lava Battleguard alongside his own Swamp Battleguard. Individually, their attack strength didn't meet the Night Dragon's, but combined together, they were able to take down the beast. Serpentine Night Dragon launched its attack for the Swamp Battleguard, but Lava Battleguard defended his companion and the companionship of the two Battleguards deflected the attack right back at the Night Dragon. It was incredible for everyone. Seeing the two Battleguards working together was like Joey and Tristan had gotten back together and would always look out for each other.

This was a first for Rex. No one has ever defeated the card he got as a prize in the regionals. But as mighty as that creature was, the Serpentine Night Dragon was a rookie compared to the rarest and most powerful dragon in his deck. And he was about to prove it by summoning it to the field: Red-Eyes Black Dragon. It was said to rival the power of its counterpart, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. None of the spectators could believe that Rex would keep one in his deck. Now Rex would prove the Black Dragon's ferocity. First he raised his Dragon's strength by 600 with the equip card Dragon Nails and destroyed the two Battleguards with one attack.

The duel was coming to a close as Joey was down to his last 235 life points and Rex was down to his last 840. They were both giving everything they had admirably. Rex decided to make the duel more interesting and raise the stakes by putting not only their star chips up for grabs, but the card they had on the field. Rex was pitting his Red-Eyes Black Dragon for the Time Wizard Joey still had on the field since his first move.

But Mai and Max saw through Rex's scheme. If he acquired the Time Wizard, he would use it against them the same way Joey did. Clearly the deal was off for all of them since Rex had enough of their insults and nagging and wanted to silence the both of them. But Max and Mai knew that things would only work in their favor if Rex could defeat Joey. But the deal was still off now that Rex was doing things his own way. Joey accepted Rex's deal and activated his Time Wizard. Talk about risk. Anything can happen on this move with the Wizard's special ability of Time Roulette. If the arrow lands on a skull, the rest of Joey's life points will be drained. However, if the arrow lands on a time machine, it will lead him to victory.

The outcome worked in Joey's favor. The space-time continuum began moving out of control as eons passed like seconds. When it all stopped, everyone looked and saw that the Red-Eyes Black Dragon had become fossilized. Rex tried to call an attack, but the fossilized Dragon crumbled into smithereens and turned into dust. Rex didn't want to admit it, but Joey was no amateur. He still felt humiliated for losing and couldn't get a grip to congratulate Joey. He instead groaned and told him, "So I guess you won my star chips, huh?"

But Joey didn't forget his other prize. "Not only did I win your star chips, but I won your Red-Eyes too, fair and square."

Remembering that part, Rex began sobbing. His confidence turned into regret as he willingly gave up his rarest card. But it wouldn't be a bad thing. The Red-Eyes Black Dragon would be in the deck of a much more worthy duelist who would use its power selflessly.

Everyone was proud of Joey for the way he handled the duel on his own. Even Tristan, who expressed it a little differently. He got back at Joey for striking him and the two pals began fighting. But it was okay for Yugi and the girls to see them act this way because it just went to show how much Joey and Tristan cared about each other. They only hoped that they didn't care about the rest of their friends in the same way.


	10. Taking it Easy

Taking it Easy

It got dark really quick after Joey's duel with Rex. The gang decided to look for a nice quiet spot where they could camp for the night. But that wasn't their only concern. They had to remember that they still had no food for themselves and they certainly didn't want to go to sleep hungry. So they decided to search for any food they could find before setting up camp.

But everyone's stomachs were beginning to get the better of them and Joey certainly wasn't one to stop to think before sampling a taste. He even considered taking a bite out of the first mushroom he saw near a tree. Yugi had to remind Joey that eating a wild mushroom can make one very sick.

Seeing them this way, Max teased them and told them to let Joey eat the mushroom while she and Mai enjoyed their chocolate bars. It was easy for Yugi and his friends to smell the chocolate, which made their stomachs rumble.

Joey freed himself from Tristan's grip and approached Mai and Max. "That's it. You can duel me, you can insult me, but you can't eat in front of me."

Again, Max decided to torment Joey. "Oh, come on. We're more than happy to share our food with you, if you're willing to give us your star chips." Joey was hungry, but he wasn't desperate. Remembering what he had worth fighting for gave him some sense to know that it was an offer he had to refuse. But Max admitted that she was kidding. She and Mai had plenty of food and didn't want to always be carrying it around. They would both gain entry into the castle by morning, so it would be best to get rid of the extra weight.

Mai and Max had plenty of delicious things. There were candy bars, canned fruit, potato chips, soda, and other goods. But in exchange for the meal, everyone had to help out. Max sent Joey and Tristan to fetch water and Mai told Yugi and Emily to gather firewood. The gang still didn't appreciate their bossy ways and always barking orders, but they were willing to swallow their pride if it meant swallowing food.

With the rest of her friends gathering stuff needed to make dinner, Tea was offered a place where she could rinse off. A makeshift shower was built in the trees near the campsite. Sensing a bit of kindness in Mai, Tea found herself opening up to her. She just couldn't understand Mai or Max. At first, they're like spoiled brats who always put themselves first. But now, they're actually being friends with everybody. At the same time, Mai couldn't see why Tea spent her time with such weird people. That was simple. These were Tea's best friends. There was even no need to explain what she saw in every one of them. All that mattered to Tea was that they all looked out for each other like family. But soon enough, they would all learn more about one another.

Tea finished rinsing off, but before she could get out and let Emily have her turn, she heard something rustle in the bushes. Mai, Max, and Emily went to check it out while the others were preparing dinner. They looked around, but saw nothing. They figured it was probably a bird or squirrel. Whatever it was, it was gone now.

The girls were all rinsed off and feeling much better. But they didn't bring fresh clothes because they didn't think how long they would be on the island. But that didn't matter. Now everyone could sit down together and enjoy their dinner of curry. It took a long time to cook, but it was ready and tasted delicious. It had a few hints of spice and sweetness to balance the flavors and the rice had a little crunch to it. It felt good for everyone to have their minds off of the tournament and spend time together as friends getting to know each other.

After dinner, Mai decided she needed a little time to herself. So she left the campsite and walked out to a more open area where she could feel the gentle breeze. That was when she felt that sensation again; something she never felt before because she spent most of her time alone. Now she started to wonder if this was what it felt like to have friends. But Mai didn't spend much time thinking about all of that. A stranger came up from behind her and dragged her away.

The rest of the gang finished their servings and worked together to wash the dishes and put them away. But they were all worried about Mai and knew she had been gone for too long. They also knew she wouldn't leave her stuff behind. They were about to consider looking for her until they heard rustling. Was Mai playing a prank on them?

No, it wasn't Mai. To everyone's surprise, it was Bakura. Tea wasn't seeing things after all. Bakura was on the boat with them and Tea also noticed him in the woods on their way to the castle. Bakura wasn't a contender in the tournament. He actually came along looking for Max. Ever since Bakura first met Max, he had tender feelings for her and would do anything to ensure her safety and happiness. It was difficult to keep those feelings contained, but Max knew right away that Bakura was in love with her. She didn't love him in the same way, but she thought of him as her best friend and didn't mind him always following her.

Now that there was one more friend to join them, everyone decided to forget about Mai and figured she could take care of herself. Everyone saw Joey looking though his cards and asked him to forget about dueling for a while. But Joey told them he was just admiring his favorite card Flame Swordsman. As funny as it sounded, Joey confessed that he felt like he was actually the card every time he played it. Tristan looked though his cards and said he felt the same way about his favorite card Cyber Commander. The others found it silly to be comparing themselves to their favorite playing cards, but Yugi didn't think it was silly at all and figured everyone had a card they could identify with. For him, it was the Dark Magician. When Emily and Tea showed their favorite cards, Joey and Tristan laughed and teased the girls. Tea's was the Magician of Faith; a peaceful spellcaster with a weak offense, but a handy special ability. Emily chose Dark Magician Girl. She thought she looked like her favorite card except of course, her eyes were blue and her hair was much brighter and straighter than the Magician's. Seeing the two Dark Magicians made Joey and Tristan tease their friends about their cards being boyfriend and girlfriend like they were. Yugi and Emily decided to let them have their fun.

Finally, Max and Bakura revealed their favorite cards. Max's monster was the Angel of Death and Bakura's was actually a Change of Heart magic card. Bakura saw that his friends were curious about the cards, so he got an idea and suggested demonstrating their powers in a duel. "We could have a duel right now. Not for star chips. Just for a little fun." Everyone agreed and figured it would be nice to play an ordinary duel like they always did back home. Bakura makes another suggestion and asks, "Why don't you guys put your favorite cards into Yugi's deck so it'll be like we're all playing?"

"Okay," said Yugi, "But I should warn you, with this all-star team of cards, we'll be tough to beat."

"True, but maybe we'll surprise you," said Bakura.

Yugi's deck was prepared with his friends' cards placed inside it while Max placed her card inside Bakura's deck. Max and Bakura didn't mind it just being the two of them alone in their team, but Joey promised that their team would go easy on them.

The stage was set, but they weren't ready to begin yet. "Before we get started, there's a little something I'd like to share with you all; especially you, Yugi," Bakura told them and placed his hands close to his chest; revealing a golden crest with the Millennium symbol. Max placed one hand over her neck in the same way and revealed her jewel.

But Yugi only took notice of Bakura's item and reacted in shock. "It can't be," he gasped, "A Millennium Item!"

"Yes," said Bakura, "and the magic of my Millennium Ring will take us to the Shadow Realm."

"Man, I hate magic," Joey moaned as their surroundings changed into black and blue darkness.

"Why are you doing this, Bakura?" Yugi asked.

"You've something I want, Yugi, and I aim to take it!" he answered and activated the magic of his Ring; capturing everyone's souls and trapping them within their favorite cards. Seeing them all look so lifeless, Bakura chuckles to himself. "Well, that wasn't too difficult."

"It wasn't very fun either," said Max. "But nonetheless, we have what we came to acquire."

Bakura nods. "Their souls have been locked away and now after countless centuries, the Millennium Puzzle is ours." He kneels down, but before he touches the Puzzle, it begins to activate. Bakura and Max back away and groan from the light. Looking down, they fear that in their presence is who they think he is. "No! It can't be!"

Yami gets up and asks the two, "You want my Millennium Puzzle? Then you're going to have to duel me for it. But if I win, you'll free my friends and send us all back."

Max smiles and tells him, "Fine, we agree to your ridiculous terms."

"But we promise you that there is more at stake than you comprehend," Bakura adds, "and this is one Shadow Game that you cannot win!"


	11. Enter the Evil Spirits

Enter the Evil Spirits

Before the match could begin, Yami asked his foes, "Bakura, what have you done? Why have you and Max taken us to the Shadow Realm?"

As it turned out, the two he was speaking to weren't the Max and Bakura Yugi was friends with. They were evil spirits whose souls resided in the treasures they possessed. "Bakura and Max are no longer here. We are thieves and stealers of souls," answered the evil spirit of the Millennium Ring. "And we have done terrible things in our quests to obtain all seven Millennium Items."

"You do remember the legends, don't you?" asked the evil spirit of the jewel around Max's neck. "He who wields the seven Millennium Items will possess power unimaginable. And once we're through with you, your Millennium Puzzle will be ours."

"That's not going to happen, whoever you are," Yami promised, placing his hand over the Millennium Puzzle.

"Then let the Shadow Game begin," declared the evil spirit of Max's jewel. "The first move is yours."

Yami makes the first move by playing Tristan's Cyber Commander. Once the card is brought to life, Yami looks closely at the card and sees that it's actually Tristan himself.

The evil Bakura complemented Yami by saying it was a good move on his part, but it was no match for his White Magical Hat. From the card appeared a nobleman in a white and purple aristocratic attire that attacked Tristan and sent him to the discard pile. Or as players call it, the graveyard.

Tristan walked around not knowing where he was, how he got here, or why he was even here. He wanted to think of it as nothing more than a bad dream that only got worse with each passing second, but the attack sure felt real. He walked up to a tombstone and saw that the contents written on it spelled his name. The confusion quickly turned into fear and he just wanted to scream.

Yami knew that the only way to save himself and his friends was to defeat the evil spirits he was facing. He didn't want to endanger the rest of his friends, but perhaps they could help each other. So he played Joey's Flame Swordsman. Just like Joey imagined, he was the Flame Swordsman himself, but like Tristan, he thought he was losing it. To try and calm Joey down, Yami explains to him what's going on. "Joey, listen to me, your soul has been sealed within your favorite card. You've become the Flame Swordsman. If I don't win this duel, we can't restore you. But if I lose you, you'll be carried off to the card graveyard just like Tristan was."

It was hard for Joey to take in all of his friend's explanations, but he kept listening in hopes that there would be a way to avoid any danger. When Yami told Joey he could only rescue his friends if they could help him win the duel, Joey immediately agreed to help. He didn't exactly know what was going on, but like in any dream, he would just take anything that would come his way and face it. He was even surprised to see that his opponents were Max and Bakura, but Yami warned him that these weren't their friends, but two evil spirits. Joey was still confused, but he said he would help his friend and he was going to. So he waved his sword and slashed Bakura's White Magical Hat, dealing 800 points of damage to Bakura's life points.

Max and Bakura weren't the least bit worried. The game was only just beginning and their deck was full of surprises. To put their first surprise in place, the evil Bakura places a monster face down in defense mode. Without waiting to find out what it is, Joey immediately charges in for an attack.

"What a dolt," Max chuckled, seeing as Joey walked right into a trap. The monster Joey attacked was a feeble creature called Morphing Jar, causing both players to discard their hands and draw new ones. Yami was just fortunate that he wasn't holding the girls' favorite cards, but surprised to see that he drew Yugi's. That made him wonder, could it be his soul card?

To keep his foes guessing, Bakura makes the same move and places another monster in defense mode. As an additional twist, he plays a card in the zone for spells and traps.

Yami didn't want to make the same mistake twice, but he didn't know what would happen if he played Yugi's favorite card. He decided to take his chances and have him join Joey on the arena. To increase their forces, he also played Monster Reborn to resurrect Tristan. Just as he thought, Yugi himself was the Dark Magician and he was no longer in control of the duel.

Tristan was glad to see his friends, but found it strange that they were dressed up as their favorite monsters. Clearly they couldn't be having the exact same dream. Joey figured he was just losing his mind. But whether this was a dream, a head game, or something real was actually the least of Yugi's concerns. He knew that just a minute ago, he was the one holding the cards. If he was with his friends, who was that controlling the duel? Joey and Tristan wanted to know the same thing.

It never occurred to Yugi until now, but he actually always knew. He felt it every time he was about to duel an opponent, that someone else was with him from within, guiding him and giving him strength. This was actually the first time he was communicating with his other self; the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle. Nothing bad has happened so far with this spirit, so Yugi was sure that he could trust him, and Joey and Tristan felt the same way.

Now that that was settled, the boys decided to focus on the issue at hand. They also wanted to find the girls, but figured they were probably still buried in the deck. Perhaps by quickly winning the duel, Tea and Emily's safety could be guaranteed and everyone would be free. Since Yugi was summoned, he commenced the attack. Once again, the opponent's hidden monster was Morphing Jar; causing the dueling spirits to once again discard their hands and draw new ones. The spirit of the Millennium Puzzle gasped as he saw Dark Magician Girl and the Magician of Faith in his hand.

The evil Bakura grinned. "Aren't those the girls' favorite cards? Do you suppose their mortal souls could be trapped within them as well?" He knew his opponent wouldn't answer, so he made his move by playing another monster face down and activating his hidden trap, Just Desserts, dealing 1500 points of damage.

"Just Desserts takes 500 life points for every monster you have on the field," the evil Max explained, "and I think you'll find that you feel like each of those life points has been ripped from your beating heart."

The spirit of the Puzzle found that statement to be quite literally true as he placed his hand against his chest and groaned. He knew that if he took another blow like that, he would lose more than the duel. Yugi's fate and his friends' were in Yami's hands. He didn't want to risk endangering Tea and Emily, but at the same time, he knew that their cards weren't safe in his hands, giving him no choice but to play them on the field.

Unlike the rest of their friends, the girls were played face down in defense mode, but they weren't completely unaware of what was going on. They were glad to see the guys, but didn't understand why they were dressed up. Looking at themselves, Tea and Emiy saw that they were also dressed up and asked what was going on.

The boys surrounded the girls and told them to keep their voices down. "Max, Yugi, and Bakura are dueling giants fighting for our souls," Joey told them.

"But Yugi's right here," Emily protested.

Yugi tried to explain that he and the player above them weren't exactly the same person, but didn't know how. He just knew that him being where he was and the spirits had something to do with his Millennium Puzzle and Bakura's Millennium Ring and Max's jewel. If it really was magic, then everyone was sane.

"Just think of it this way, girls," Joey was telling them, "There's two Yugis: the cool one up there and the puny one down here."

Yugi was outraged hearing that. "That's not how it works at all!"

Joey chuckled nervously. "Just a joke, relax." But this really wasn't the time to joke around and based on Yugi's angry mood, he was about to show it. Without thinking, he raised his scepter, drawing Max and Bakura's hidden monster out into the field. It was another seemingly feeble monster called the Electric Lizard.

"Yugi, wait," Yami cried, but it was too late. With the power of the Dark Magician, Yugi attacked the Lizard. The attack came with a price, however. The Lizard was destroyed, but it paralyzed Yugi for not being an electric-based monster. To complete his move, Yami played a hidden card of his own.

Speaking of hidden, the girls weren't easily concealed anymore. Max and Bakura could easily see them and had them all right where they wanted them; together on the field. This was their plan all along. Bakura devastated Yugi's deck to draw him and his friends out on the field to destroy them all together. To begin the process, Bakura placed one more hidden monster on the field.

But Yugi and his friends saw the image on the card before it was placed on the field. It was a Man-Eater Bug; a monster that can easily destroy any creature that tries to attack it. There was a way to destroy the Bug, but there was also a price to pay; a sacrifice had to be made. Tristan already said he didn't want to go back to the graveyard, but he decided to be the sacrifice and protect his friends.

But Joey refused to let that happen. "You just got back from the graveyard. If anyone's going, it's me."

"Do you really want to go through with it," asked the evil spirit that possessed Max. "Think about it, Joseph. If you sacrifice yourself, your friends won't be able to rescue you. When that happens, you won't be able to help your poor sister."

Listening to the evil spirit's words, Joey stopped himself. That was when Tristan decided he would take the blow after all. With Yugi still stunned and the girls in defense mode, he found he had no choice, so he charged in for an attack. The Man-Eater Bug emerged like a predator coming out of its den to make a meal of its intruder. Hanging on for dear life, Tristan told Yami to activate his trap.

Listening to his friend, the good spirit reveals his hidden card, Horn of Heaven, shining a celestial light down on Tristan and the Man-Eater and sending them to the graveyard. Yugi and the others couldn't believe what they all saw. They couldn't help but feel that Tristan was really gone.

"I hope you don't harbor any illusions about rescuing Tristan from the graveyard," said the evil Max. "You've already played Reborn the Monster, the only way to bring him back. But if you really want to see him again, we can help you." She turns her attention to her comrade and tells him, "Play it."

The evil Bakura nods and plays the Angel of Death. Unsurprisingly, it turns out to be their friend Max. She disappears from the field and transports herself to the graveyard. She finds Tristan and takes his hand. "Let's go," she tells him and takes him back with her to the field. Just in time too. The Reaper of the Cards was about to claim Tristan's soul.

Yugi and the others were happy to see Max and know that she was well, but were confused about why the evil spirits would play her to rescue Tristan. This was actually part of their real strategy and the evil Bakura was about to show them all what he meant as he summoned his Lady of Faith and revealed the Change of Heart magic card. Now it was making sense to Yugi. The Angel of Death's special ability allowed her to bring a monster back from the graveyard and force it under the control of the cardholder. The Change of Heart worked in the same way; allowing the cardholder to control his opponent's monster as if it were his own for the duration of the turn. And since Yugi was the strongest monster, the evil spirits decided he would be perfect to control.

"Leave the young one out of this," said Yami.

"Why should we?" asked the evil Bakura. "By turning him against his friends, we can defeat you. You're here to guide and protect him? Then protect him against this," he said and placed the card on the field.

Yugi braced himself, but as the light of the summoning dissipated, he saw his friend. "Bakura, so your soul was sealed inside your favorite card too!"

Bakura sighs. "I want to help, but we must act quickly, Yugi," he said and disappeared inside the Lady of Faith. "I've taken over one of his cards instead of yours."

"We'll control our hosts while you attack us," Max told him, "You can win against the evil Bakura and Max."

"I can't," Yugi cried, "I'd be destroying you; sending you to the graveyard."

"We don't care," Bakura told him, "It's better than being enslaved by evil spirits."

"Do it!" Max begged.

"Be quiet!" the evil spirits roared, outraged that their vessels would betray them.

But Yami had another idea. If the evil power of the Millennium Ring could snatch souls from their bodies, perhaps the pure power of his Puzzle could restore them. And it worked. The Max and Bakura Yugi was friends with were back where they belonged and the evil spirits became their monsters. Now they were the ones in danger of being attacked. Yugi recovered from his paralysis and Emily was switched into attack mode. "Yugi, Emily, listen closely," Yami was saying, "use the powers of the Dark Magicians. Send them both to the graveyard now!"

Yugi attacked the evil Bakura with his Dark Magic and Emily attacked the evil Max with her Dark Burning. The evil spirits screamed as the attacks surrounded them and carried them off to the graveyard. "The Millennium Puzzle was almost ours," the evil Bakura scolded. Disappointed from their defeat, the evil spirits weren't aware that they weren't alone. They turned around and screamed as they saw the Reaper of Cards coming for them.

Now that the Shadow Game was over, everyone was back at the campsite. Yugi, Max, and Bakura were all right while the others were unconscious. "Are you guys all right?" Yugi asked them.

"We are now, thanks to you," Bakura answered.

Yugi notices the Millennium Ring and asks him, "Where did you get your Millennium Ring?"

Bakura follows his gaze and explains to him that his father got it from a salesman during a trip in Egypt. The salesman told Bakura's father that the Ring had a link to the Duel Monsters card game, which was confusing because the game was new and the artifact was ancient.

Max spoke up and said that the jewel around her neck came with the Millennium Ring. "People have believed it to be a shard of the Millennium Star."

"Millennium Star," Yugi echoed, wondering if it was perhaps another Millennium Item.

"I don't know much about it except that it belonged to an Egyptian princess and was shattered after a great tragedy befell the kingdom," Max admitted. "I've also heard that people have searched for the princess to claim her power and use it for themselves."

Bakura nods. "I've heard a lot about it too. The Millennium Star is said to hold power greater than the Millennium Items and people have fought for it."

"Anyway, when Bakura's father returned, he gave him the Millennium Ring and said he was destined to have it."

"And I gave the jewel to Max as a present," Bakura finished. Just like how his father felt he was destined to have the Millennium Ring, Bakura felt Max was destined to have the jewel.

After Bakura and Max finished their story, the rest of the gang started waking up. "Whoa, what a weird dream," Tristan groaned. "I just dreamt Max and Bakura went totally mental."

"Same here," Joey said, rubbing his eyes. "Last time I snooze with Duel Monster cards under my pillow."

"Sleep well, guys?" Bakura asked sweetly as he approached them.

"Bakura!" Joey and Tristan cried. They grabbed each other, but didn't realize someone was between them. "Hands off," said Tristan.

"You grabbed me," Joey told him.

"Both you idiots grabbed me!" Max yelled. Facing their front, Joey and Tristan yelped and pulled themselves back as they finally noticed her. Everyone else laughed.

This time, the girls start talking about what happened and it all being a dream. "I dreamt we were all dressed as Duel Monsters and there were two Yugis," said Tea.

Emily nods. "Me too. I dreamt that Yugi played with us like we were Duel Monsters and you two had gone nuts." Hearing that, Yugi, Bakura, and Max smile and chuckle nervously. They figured it would be best to let everyone think that everything that happened was a dream.

Suddenly, everyone heard screaming. Recognizing the voice, they head out to find Mai and rescue her.


	12. Light at the end of the Tunnel

Light at the end of the Tunnel

The gang found Mai and learned that she had been defeated in a duel not by an ordinary competitor, but a brute named Panik. He was hired by Pegasus as one of the tournament's eliminators, seeking out weak duelists and removing them from the competition. He even bragged that Mai was one of his easiest victims after seizing all eight of her star chips.

Joey couldn't stand to see Mai being treated with such cruelty and wanted to fight for her, but Yugi knew violence wasn't the answer. For a boy who had spent most of his life being bullied and taken advantage of, he understood Mai's pain and knew he had to do what needed to be done: stand up to this bully. The spirit of the Millennium Puzzle understood Yugi's feelings and took over to face Panik.

The eliminator found Yami's attitude to be amusing and accepted his challenge. Panik's cruel methods weren't just for the rewards, but for sheer enjoyment. Either way, it was fine with him if he made money. He even figured eliminating Yugi would give him a fortune. But Yami wasn't intimidated by Panik's antics. The duel hadn't yet started, but already he could see his opponent for what he truly was: a coward preying on the weak because he didn't have the courage to face his opponents. But his assumptions would only be justified while the duel would be played out.

Yami decided to risk all of his star chips to win back all of Mai's. Panik agreed, but he wasn't one to play fair. In fact, the arena had contraptions set up to scare his opponents and stir them up. The first trick he played was trapping Yami's legs in shackles and the next was activating flamethrowers around him. But the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle didn't scare easily and saw that these were just empty threats proving that his opponent was the real coward.

Having had enough, Panik decided it was time to start the duel and he made the first move by playing his Castle of Dark Illusions; a palace floating in the sky and darkening the entire arena. There would be no telling what sort of surprises would await Yami in the shadows. For now, he had to stay on his toes and protect himself, so he played Celtic Guardian to protect his life points. Thanks to the shadows produced by Panik's Castle, his monsters were easily concealed, so he played his first monster and attacked Yami's Guardian. Since Yami didn't know what he was up against, he felt reduced to defending his life points as he played Winged Dragon and Guardian of the Fortress. Panik played another monster, but decided to keep Yami hesitant from attacking. Yami knew he couldn't keep defending himself throughout the whole duel, but he couldn't see Panik's monsters. That was when he got an idea and decided to illuminate the arena. The Winged Dragon's Fireball attack pierced through the darkness, revealing two fiends called Barox and Dark Chimera.

Yami was able to get a glimpse of Panik's monsters, but that wasn't enough to help him at all. Especially now that his Winged Dragon was in attack mode. Engulfed by the monster's Dark Grasp of Fury, the Winged Dragon was destroyed and Yami's life points had dropped to 1606. But Yami looked down at his hand and saw the card that would light the way and lead to his victory: the Swords of Revealing Light. But he had to be patient and play his cards right, so he played a card face down on the field. Panik assumed the card he played was the Swords of Revealing Light, so he summoned the Reaper of the Cards. The Reaper's special ability gave it the power to destroy any spell cards played by the opponent, which meant ruining Yami's strategy. Fortunately, Yami was a step ahead and revealed his hidden card to be the Spellbinding Circle trap. He figured Panik would have a Reaper in his deck and he was right to play his trap. With the Reaper of Cards ensnared by the Spellbinding Circle, Yami was safe to freely play his Swords of Revealing Light face down on the field. To protect his life points, he also summoned Curse of Dragon in defense mode. Panik played another fiend called King of Yamimakai and ordered it to attack. But the Spellbinding Circle's light absorbed the Electroshock attack and destroyed the Reaper, reducing Panik's life points to 494.

Now Yami activated his Swords of Revealing Light, illuminating the field and revealing Panik's monsters. They were also prevented from attacking for three turns, giving Yami plenty of time to complete the rest of his strategy and win the duel. Panik was unable to attack, but he decided to take advantage of the situation by raising his defenses by playing Chaos Shield. Yami knew that with the extra defensive power, Panik's monsters couldn't be destroyed. But this just proved once again to Yami that Panik was a coward who needed to hide behind his defenses. Panik couldn't stand to hear Yami keep talking, so he activated his flamethrowers again.

Mai couldn't believe what she was seeing. Panik had used the same tactics against her when she dueled him; making her tremble. But Panik was the one losing it while Yami was keeping his cool. She could never keep it together for this long just as he was doing now.

Yami couldn't take down Panik's monsters, but he figured there may be way to take down the Castle itself. So he merged Curse of Dragon and Gaia the Fierce Knight together to form Gaia the Dragon Champion. It still wasn't enough, however, so Panik wasn't too concerned. But in case Yami would somehow find a way to attack, Panik raised his defenses once again by playing Metal Guardian. He also decided that once the effect of Yami's Swords would wear off, he would switch his monsters into attack mode and send them all on a ferocious onslaught.

But that would never happen. The final stage was set as Yami played his Catapult Turtle. Any monster sent for a catapult had the power to smash though walls and fortresses. With the Dragon Champion onboard, its attack power had been raised to 3200, equal to the Castle's defense points. The Turtle launched the Dragon Champion for attack, dropping Yami's life points down to 300. When the smoke cleared, everyone saw that the Castle of Dark Illusions was still in play. The Catapult Launch just destroyed its floatation ring. But then how was it still floating? It turned out the Castle of Dark Illusions was being held by the Swords of Revealing Light. Now that Yami's turn was over, the Swords were disappearing. Trapped by the Chaos Shield, Panik's monsters were crushed by the falling Castle, draining the rest of his life points.

Panik was outraged for losing to Yami, he decided to take it on him by using the full power of his flamethrowers, burning the whole arena. No one could survive the flames, but Yami was protected by the magic of his Millennium Puzzle. There was nothing left for Panik to hide behind now; not even from being sent to the dreaded Shadow Realm.

Finally, the darkness lifted and the flames subsided. Yami left the arena unharmed and saw that his friends were all right. His Millennium Puzzle was more incredible than any of them thought for it also protected them from the flames. Mai was speechless after witnessing Yami's bravery and what he put himself through for her. But he just presented her star chips without expecting anything. Mai was grateful to Yami, but at the same time, still too proud to say it and show it. Though she appreciated what Yami did for her, she still preferred to fight on her own without help from anyone.

Joey could see that Mai was still too proud and that there was no point in trying to talk some sense into her, so he decided to take her star chips since she didn't want them. Mai didn't take kindly to Joey's humor. That was when Joey saw that she really did want her star chips back, so he placed them in her hand. But the real reason he did it was because they were rightfully hers. "Didn't you learn anything from this duel?" he asked Mai. "You can't always keep your defenses up, 'cause they'll just get between you and those who are trying to help you. So can't you lower your shield for once?" Listening to Joey's words, Mai saw that he really was being a friend to her, so she smiled compassionately. Joey smiled back and continued to be funny. "Ah, I'm such a sensitive guy."

"When you're not being a pain," Tristan told him.

"Which is most of the time," Max added.

Joey took those statements as ways of showing how much his friends appreciated him, so he said, "Ah, my adoring fans."

Watching him walk away, Mai called Yami and asked him to wait. He turned around to listen to what she had to say. "I'll repay you for what you did. You're the one who won these, so as far as I'm concerned, I owe you. More than I've ever owed anyone. And when we face each other in a duel, it'll be an honorable one," she promised.

Sensing sincerity in Mai's tone, Yami agreed and said a match of honor was something he would look forward to.


	13. The Scars of Defeat

The Scars of Defeat

The executives who agreed to join forces with Pegasus called a meeting saying that they wanted to seize control of KaibaCorp immediately. Kaiba was still shaken by his defeat, but that wouldn't get in his way of stopping the takeover. The board of directors knew just as much and feared that if he were able to successfully rescue his little brother, then they would lose their tie to the company name. But Pegasus assured his partners that he would continue to handle the situation without any more setbacks.

Kaiba was already on his way to Duelist Kingdom thinking about the matter. _I can't believe all my business associates would turn on me after a single defeat. But then again, losing to Yugi has shaken my self-confidence too_ , he wondered, recalling what Yugi said at the end of their duel. He told Kaiba that by believing in himself and in his cards, anything was possible.

 _Maybe Yugi was right, but I can't start second-guessing myself now; not when Pegasus has kidnapped Mokuba. No, if I'm going to face Pegasus, I must rely on my old dueling instincts. That's the only chance I have of freeing Mokuba. And once Mokuba is out of harm's way, I'll unleash my wrath on the vultures who conspired to take over my company. If Pegasus thought I would just sit idly by as they would dismantle my life's work, he was wrong. I'll make sure they all regret ever crossing Seto Kaiba._

With so much on the line for Kaiba, he really didn't want to take a chance at trying something new. Though he was still unsure of his old tactics being the right way, he just had to trust what he felt inside. There was no time to let his feelings get in the way.

On the island, Yugi and his friends relocated their campsite in a more open area away from the trees and the animals. Everyone except for Yugi, Max, and Bakura was asleep. Looking down at his friend's treasure, Yugi asks, "Bakura, am I seeing things, or is your Millennium Ring actually glowing?"

"If it's not, then we're all hallucinating," Bakura answered, seeing that he and Max could see it too. He remembered that the same thing happened when he first met Yugi and the others when he transferred to their school. The pointers on the Millennium Ring shined and pointed at Yugi's Millennium Puzzle. He also remembered how it happened when he first met Emily too. The Millennium Ring would point to her for a few seconds, then stop, then point again, then stop again.

"Wow, Bakura," Yugi said, a little scared and amazed at the same time. "Somehow, those pointers are able to zone in on other Millennium Items.

"But then why would they point to the castle?" Bakura asked.

"Because of what's inside the castle," he answered, "Pegasus' Millennium Eye. That's what took my grandfather's soul."

"It's all scary, isn't it," asked Max. "Pegasus grabbing souls with his Millennium Item, and I'll never forget how Bakura's Item and my jewel took all of us to the Shadow Realm." That was something none of the friends would forget, but it would be a matter of time for Max and Bakura to actually witness the power of Pegasus' Millennium Eye.

Yugi still couldn't sleep; not after thinking about what he and his friends talked about. He had a feeling that being involved in this tournament was a twist of fate because it had a link with the Millennium Items. Ever since he solved the Millennium Puzzle, playing Duel Monsters was never the same for him. It was like he could feel a strong and courageous presence within every time he was in a duel. Now he knew for sure that it was the good spirit guiding him and he hoped that the spirit would help him rescue his grandfather.

Yugi's concentration was broken by the sound of whirring. The sound woke the others up from their sleep and made them wonder what it was. Getting a clear vision, they saw Kaiba stepping out of his helicopter and wondered what he was doing here. "I haven't seen you since our duel, Yugi," he greeted.

Yugi agreed and presented Kaiba with his deck. "Here, I've been keeping it for you. Think of it as a 'thank you' for the duel you helped me win."

Kaiba thanked Yugi as he took back his deck, but not with much appreciation. "You'll be compensated for your trouble."

Since everyone was heading to Pegasus' castle, Yugi suggested to Kaiba that he should join them. But Kaiba wasn't interested. He thought that they were in it for the competition and saw it as a waste of his time. The others were aware that he was on his way to rescue his brother, but there was no point in trying to explain their reasons. Joey, however, was upset with Kaiba for his attitude and wanted to settle things with him.

Again, Kaiba thought that this was all just a game to Yugi and his friends. "Do you think I'm going to let you and your tournament delay me from finding Pegasus?"

"Forget Pegasus," Joey told him, "Now you'll have to go through me." Listening to Joey's challenge to Kaiba, the others saw that their friend had to be either really brave or crazy. Not wanting to waste any more of his time, Kaiba started walking away again. But Joey wouldn't quit. "Go ahead and run," he taunted. "Everyone knows you're nothing but a washed up has-been!"

"Joey, be careful what you say," Emily warned, seeing that Kaiba was not one people wanted to provoke.

Yugi agreed. "Kaiba may be a creep, but he's still pretty much considered the best duelist in the world."

"Not anymore," Joey debated. Hearing that, Kaiba finally stopped and turned around as Joey continued to torment him. The others continued to stop Joey and warn him that he was making a mistake, but Joey wouldn't stop urging Kaiba to duel him.

Kaiba finally accepted Joey's challenge under one condition. "Well, since you're so eager to duel me, you must agree to do it using my new invention; one that displays holographic realism," he said, holding out his briefcase.

Bluntly, Joey assumed, "Looks like an ordinary briefcase to me."

Max rolled her eyes. "Try it's _in_ the briefcase, you moron."

Finally, Kaiba opened it and tossed one of his prototypes to Joey. "Its technology is unprecedented."

Looking at it, Joey replied, "Looks like a flying saucer."

"Don't be an idiot," Kaiba scolded, irritated. "This is a state-of-the-art dueling modulator. If you think you have what it takes to handle it, just strap it on." Joey does as told and secures it over his left wrist. "Insert your dueling deck into the card slot. A life point counter will keep track of your score throughout the match. Then simply place a card into the card recognizer. I think the rest will explain itself."

Having had enough of explaining the rules to Joey, Kaiba decided to demonstrate his first move by playing his Battle Ox, a beast with an attack strength of 1700. He swung his duel disk like a Frisbee and glitter sparked out like fireworks. Tea and Emily thought it was like something from an enchanted dream until they saw Kaiba's monster come into play. But it looked too real to be a hologram. Kaiba reminded everyone that it was a hologram of unprecedented realism.

As impressive as Joey found Kaiba's work to be, he thought this duel was going to be interesting. He played Armored Lizard in attack mode. A big mistake on his part for the Lizard's attack points were 1400. Using its Axe Slam attack, Battle Ox cut Armored Lizard in half like a piece of wood.

"This isn't for the faint of heart, Joey," said Kaiba. "It's intended to force duelists to think on their feet. If it's too much for you, maybe you should back out now."

But Joey refused to give in. The last move took him by surprise with the impressive advanced projections, but Joey kept his confidence and summoned his trusty Flame Swordsman. It was stronger than Battle Ox by a hundred attack points, but Kaiba's monster was resistant to fire elemental monsters; causing Joey to lose a hundred more life points. Kaiba wasn't surprised the very least to see that Joey's moves were just one mistake after another and figured he needed to learn a lesson in the game the hard way, so he combined his Battle Ox and Mystic Horseman together to form Rabid Horseman.

Every monster Joey played was too weak to fight and ended up being destroyed. Now he was on his knees and down to his last 400 life points. Kaiba was amused to see him this way. "That's right, Joey," he taunted, "Fall to the dirt like a whimpering dog."

 _Man, it took Exodia for Yugi to beat this guy,_ Joey wondered.

"Come on, Joey," Tea cheered, "You're the best at finding ways to come back from behind."

"Get up," said Tristan. "No way Kaiba gets away with calling you a canine."

Listening to his friends' encouragement, Joey gets back on his feet and draws the strongest card in his deck. Amazed to see Red-Eyes Black Dragon in play and defeating Kaiba's Horseman, everyone figured Joey may have just turned the duel around.

But Kaiba wasn't worried. "It's like a novice to celebrate when really, it's too soon to think you've won. True, the round may be yours, but the match is about to become mine." As Joey asks him what he means, he explains, "Your Red-Eyes Black Dragon is a powerful card, but its ferocity pales in comparison to my own beast: the legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Now two rivaling Dragons were in play, but just as Kaiba said, his Dragon was 600 points stronger than Joey's, overpowering him and taking the rest of his life points.

With the others coming to Joey's aid, Kaiba continued to torment him. "I'd say my new duel disk system was quite overwhelming seeing as it's left Joey into complete and utter submission. He's moping like the frightened dog I've turned him into."

"But this is Joey," Emily told him, remembering her friend's self-confidence.

"Yeah, you jerk," Tea scorned. "Did you have to take his confidence with his Dragon? Joey was just starting to believe in himself as a real duelist."

Yugi nods. "Beating Joey doesn't give you the right to humiliate him."

But Joey told his friends to be quiet. "Don't give this creep the satisfaction."

Kaiba just scoffed. "Look, kid, do you think that if you were dueling Pegasus, he would have been any more merciful on you than I was?" He asked because he wanted to let Yugi know what he would be up against if he were to duel him. Kaiba admitted that believing in the Heart of the Cards was a powerful philosophy, but when it comes to defeating a master duelist like Pegasus, one must play by their own rules and trust their own instincts. After all, Pegasus is the man who created the Duel Monsters card game; keeping almost every known card at his disposal and knowing every strategy that's ever been played.

But Kaiba went further into detail and explained something a little mysterious. "When it comes to dueling, Pegasus uses more than skill. I've seen him use a magic powerful than any card. And so has Max," he said, turning his attention to her.

Max knew what he was talking about. She and Kaiba had been personally invited by Pegasus as his guests of honor to watch him compete in the intercontinental tournament in New York City. Pegasus was competing in the final match against the intercontinental champion Bandit Keith. They both played admirably, but Pegasus had spent most of his time toying with Keith like he did the rest of his opponents.

Max and Kaiba didn't find the match to be too interesting until they saw Pegasus do something unusual. Just as Bandit Keith was about to make his move, Pegasus scribbled some notes down on a small piece of paper and called over a kid from the audience. It was illegal for a competitor to ask for help, but Pegasus figured a child could defeat a champion and was about to prove it. He presented the boy with the notes he wrote down and joined his guests in the sidelines to watch the rest of the match.

Bandit Keith didn't find Pegasus' antics very amusing and wanted to end the match right away. He figured the card he drew would lead him to his victory and so he played it. It was Garnecia Elephantis, a mighty beast with an attack strength of 2400. The boy, Sam, read the contents on the note, telling him to play a card that had the image of a white elephant. Keith recognized the card and knew that by playing it, his opponent drained the rest of his life points. Outraged, Keith swiped the note and couldn't believe what he was reading, that the contents explained the card he was going to play and how to defeat it. Max and Kaiba had never seen anything like what they had just witnessed.

Hearing Kaiba's story made Yugi think back on his duel with Pegasus and how he was able to read all the cards in his hand. But he couldn't forget Joey and told his rival, "But, Kaiba, that's still no reason to take it out on us and turn Joey into your new system's guinea pig."

"Perhaps, but if I'm to have any chance of defeating Pegasus, hopefully these duel disks will give me the edge I need. This is war for me, Yugi. Your friend was a casualty."

Yugi watched Kaiba place his prototypes back in his briefcase and start back on his walk to the castle. Yugi still didn't appreciate Kaiba's method of fighting with brute force, but he understood his reasons. He remembered that there was also a lot at stake for his rival. "Kaiba, we may not agree with each other's methods, but we both know that Pegasus must be stopped." Hearing that, Kaiba stopped and turned around to listen to him. "I hope you succeed in rescuing Mokuba."

"And I hope you succeed in your ventures," returned Kaiba. "Let's just hope our paths don't cross again before this is all over." In many ways, they were wishing each other well and hoping they would reclaim all that Pegasus had taken from them. They also didn't want to stand in each other's way, but would that last? Yugi and Kaiba have their differences, but they also have a common enemy. Will they join together or remain apart as they fight for everything they hold dear?


	14. The Arena of Lost Souls

The Arena of Lost Souls

It was hard for Joey to sleep throughout the rest of the night as he was being tormented by nightmares of Kaiba and his White Dragon. But somehow he woke up feeling energized and ready to start the day. Everyone else seemed fully rested despite all of last night's battles as well. Mai and Max left earlier to get back into the competition on their own and left the team some of their goods. Tea handed Yugi a note Mai left for him, promising to pay him back for last night. Yugi figured that perhaps Mai could be considered someone they could trust. As for Max, well, they felt the same way towards her. For now, it was time for Yugi and Joey to get back into the competition as well.

Looking around, they all wondered how many duelists were left on the island. Dozens of competitors had been sent home after their first match and it was likely that many more had been eliminated by now. After surviving the first round, many of the competitors would prove to be stronger. Just thinking about it made Joey start to tremble, which made Tristan start to tease him once again. The commotion between the friends attracted a group of troublemakers who sought out duelists and would report to their leader before challenging them. When they recognized Yugi, they decided to report back to their leader, who turned out to be Bandit Keith.

Keith had heard about Yugi's match with Kaiba, but he didn't think he would be as good as everyone else said he was. Keith's lackeys agreed not to be intimidated by the same rumor and bragged that their group would make it into the castle. Keith actually wanted to get into the castle to get back at Pegasus for their match at the intercontinental tournament. He didn't care about his lackeys, but he still decided to use them. So it was settled that they would go after Joey and save Yugi for later. Keith sent the brawny Zigor and brainy Sid to find Joey while he would lead his smallest lackey Bonz to a dueling arena deep in a cave. Keith figured it would be the perfect place for Bonz to duel considering his deck was built up with zombie-type monsters. He even built up his deck with rare cards he kept throughout his dueling career.

Joey got the feeling he and his friends were being followed and ran off. The others didn't think so and figured Joey needed time to pull himself together. Joey came to a small waterfall to cool off. He felt relaxed and was ready to rejoin his friends until Zigor found him and knocked him unconscious. When Joey came back to his senses, he found himself standing in a graveyard arena and was scared out of his wits.

Bonz appeared from the other side of the arena and spoke to Joey in an eerie voice. "Welcome, duelist, to the arena of lost souls. Abandon all hope for no duelist gets out of here alive."

Joey screamed for a few seconds and froze with fear. He was literately scared stiff from all the spooky nonsense. To snap him out of it, Zigor threw a skull and hit Joey in the head. Bonz continued to torment him by saying the 'spirits' could sense his fear. Joey admitted he was scared, but not from the surroundings, rather of Bonz himself. He was pale and his face was like a skull. Even Bandit Keith and his other two lackeys agreed and began laughing about it. Bonz didn't like that his friends were laughing at him and told Joey to wager his star chips so the match could begin. Joey tried refusing and wanted to get out, but Keith and his lackeys told him he had no choice. They even tormented him about acting like a frightened puppy. Just hearing that reminded him of the nightmare he had about Max and Kaiba calling him a puppy and treating him like one. He didn't want that nightmare to be real and saw that the only way to end the fear was to fight it, so he placed all four star chips on the table.

Bonz wanted to make the first move by playing one of his zombies, but Keith stopped him and advised him to play the card on the far left. Bonz looked at the image and saw that it was Zanki, a warrior monster. He was reluctant to play the card, but Sid and Zigor told him to take their leader's advice. After all, the only reason any of them actually won any of their matches was because of all the advice they took from Bandit Keith. Finally, Bonz played his monster in attack mode. Joey summoned a warrior of his own and defeated Zanki, dealing 400 points of damage to Bonz's life points.

"Why'd you make me play that lame card," Bonz asked Keith. "If that'd been one of my zombies, I could have crushed him." That was when he knew for sure he had to play one of his zombies. But Keith stopped him and told him to play a different card once again. It was the Crawling Dragon, another monster that wasn't one of the undead. Keith told him to play it as another part of the strategy he thought of. Bonz wasn't sure what strategy would come from playing these cards, but he still took his leader's advice and played the card in defense mode to protect his life points. Joey's Axe Raider defeated the Dragon with ease. This time, Keith told Bonz to play his next monster in attack mode so Joey wouldn't be so hesitant. The trick was to keep him confident and later take him by surprise. Bonz did as told and summoned Crass Clown in attack mode, with an attack strength of 1350. Joey played his Flame Swordsman and used it to defeat the Clown and take 450 more of Bonz's life points.

This was going just as Keith played. He wanted Joey to think that this duel was all his, but now was the time for their strategy to kick in. When Bonz drew his card, he finally understood why Keith was making him play all of those monsters and what strategy he was talking about. He played Call of the Haunted, a trap card that would bring all of Bonz's monsters back to the field as zombies. They still had their original attack power, but the graveyard gave them all a field power bonus. Joey tried to fight, but his Axe Raider couldn't destroy the Dragon Zombie. Instead, the Dragon defeated him with its Deadly Zombie Breath. Joey was starting to think that it was over for him. None of his monsters could defeat Bonz's zombies. Even if he could, they would just come back stronger thanks to Bonz's trap.

Yugi and the others began to worry about Joey and noticed that he had been gone for too long. Tristan started blaming himself and figured Joey went out to look for a duel and prove he wasn't scared. They all agreed to split up and look for him. They all looked around, but couldn't find their friend. If he was dueling, no doubt they would see the arena. They also kept their ears open, but couldn't hear Joey's voice. Finally, Tea found a clue. She picked a wallet up from the ground and saw that it was Joey's after seeing a picture of Serenity in it. Tristan knew that Joey would never be careless to leave the wallet behind; especially with a picture of someone who means more to him than anything. Yugi looked and saw a cave nearby and wondered if Joey could be inside.

With his friends looking for him, Joey continued to play out the duel with his efforts. He tried playing Garoozis and attacked the Clown Zombie, but the Clown came back stronger and defeated Garoozis. Joey drew his next card. To his delight, it was the Time Wizard. Reflecting on the past victories he achieved with this card, he figured this time would be no different. So he played it on the field.

 _Time Wizard?_ Keith wondered. _Apparently, the dweeb's smarter than I thought. His Wizard's Time Magic could age Bonz's zombies right into the dust._

Even Bonz knew the exact same thing. "Boss, help me," he begged.

But Keith remembered it would only be so if the outcome of Joey's move was successful on his part. "Don't worry, Bonz. Don't you know that Time Roulette is all a game of chance? If your luck is better, so are your chances." Bonz was nervous, but he kept hoping that Joey's move would fail. The arrow began to slow down and stopped for a few seconds. Sadly, the arrow landed on a skull. As a result, Joey's Time Wizard and Flame Swordsman warped away from the field and drained 1150 of Joey's life points, leaving him with 650 remaining.

Bonz couldn't help but laugh. "Want me to play a card, or would you rather destroy yourself?" But he felt sorry for Joey and decided to pass. Joey didn't think his best card would work against him and he certainly didn't want the same thing to happen again, so he played a monster in defense mode. Bonz was about to attack until Bandit Keith gave him another tip. He decided that Bonz should humiliate Joey the same way Pegasus humiliated him. So Bonz played a zombie called Pumpking the King of Ghosts. As the King of Ghosts, Pumpking had the ability to supply his fellow zombies with ectoplasm and raise their attack points by ten percent with each and every turn.

Yugi and the others began walking through the cave, but it was too dark to see anything. They had to stay together and keep out of danger, but that would be hard to do. The cave was filled with traps set up by Pegasus to frighten all who came through. The first trap was a couple of coffins leaning against a wall. Yugi advised his friends not to touch them, but Tea and Bakura didn't heed his warning. The caskets opened up and skeletons came out. Tea and Bakura panicked as their friends got the skeletons off of their backs. "That Pegasus has sure got a sick sense of humor," said Tristan. The others didn't take kindly to the matter either.

They continued walking through the cave, but Emily looked and saw that not everybody was present. "Hey, guys, where's Bakura?"

Everyone else wondered the same thing. "We didn't take any turns," Tristan replied. "Where could he be?" Then they all heard him yelling. They turned around and saw him coming their way. To their surprise, there was another skeleton clinging to his back.

"Help, get this thing off of me!" he cried, running towards his friends. The others ran not to avoid him, but to avoid touching the nasty collection of bones.

Finally, Tristan got the skeleton off of Bakura. Having had enough, he told his friends, "From now on, don't go picking up any hitchhikers."

"Is it safe to open my eyes now?" Tea asked, lying on her stomach. Yugi was on his back like he fainted and Emily was on her knees with her hands on her head.

Finally, everyone got up. "You gave us all quite a scare with that skeleton, Bakura," said Yugi.

"Never mind that," Tristan said after Bakura apologized. They had another problem for now there were two paths to take. "Which way do we go?"

"Gee, both ways look _so_ inviting," Tea said sarcastically. It didn't take long to make a decision however. Bakura activated another trap as he took a step forward and felt his foot sink. They heard rumbling and knew something was coming their way as it was getting louder. When it came close enough into view, they saw a boulder rolling towards them.

"Do hurry! Do hurry!" Bakura cried as they began running down the path on the left.

"Why is that boulder chasing us?" Tea asked.

"Because we're downhill," Tristan answered, trying to be reasonable.

"I'm sorry," Bakura was saying again and again as he continued running. He suddenly tripped and fell forward. He didn't have the time to get back up for the boulder had crushed him.

There was nowhere left to run when they saw a dead end at their path. "Since there's nowhere left to run, I'm going to fight," Tristan said, gathering his strength. Was he crazy? There was no way he could shatter a boulder just by punching it. He decided to try anyway, but when he touched it, it turned out to be a balloon and popped. The rumbling sound also came from the speaker inside it. This all meant that Bakura was all right. Well, physically anyway. Bakura remained on the ground and felt his heart racing.

Emily sighed in frustration. "Pegasus spared no expense to scare us half to death." The rest of her friends agreed. After Bakura was finally able to pull himself together, they went back up the path and took the one next to them in hopes that it would lead them to Joey.

They duel went on as Bonz continued to power up his zombie arsenal with Pumpking's Ectoplasmic Fortification and Joey's defending monsters were defeated by the Dragon Zombie's Deadly Zombie Breath. Finally, the gang was reunited. Keith told Zigor and Sid not to let them interfere. They do as told and block their path. Tristan tries to sneak past them, but Sid strikes him in the head with a marble and Zigor punches him in the stomach. Joey tries to help his friend but Keith stops him. "Remember, if you leave the arena, you forfeit the match and all of your star chips belong to me."

"The duel is illegal anyway," Tea protested, after hearing from Joey that these lackeys ganged up on him and forced him into this match.

Emily agreed. "Right, Tea,"

"Wrong, Tea," Keith countered. "When he laid down his star chips, he accepted the duel."

"In that case," Tristan groaned, "you're just going to have to beat these punks. And if you're going to need a little more added motivation," then he tossed Joey his wallet. He opened it, revealing his sister's picture. "Remember, your sister's counting on you."

Keith found this whole act of encouragement pathetic. "Come on, you gonna cut and run, dweeb, or are you gonna part with your star chips the hard way?"

Joey growled in frustration. "Hey, I've heard enough of your smart remarks. Spill! Who are you anyway?"

"Don't you know? They call me Bandit Keith."

"I've heard that name somewhere before," said Tea.

"He's the intercontinental champion Kaiba and Max told us about," Emily reminded. "He's only lost one match and that was to Pegasus himself."

"No wonder skull face has outsmarted me with every turn," Joey said, realizing what he was up against.

"Which is why you ought to pack it up and go home, dweeb," Keith tormented. "Because I've given my little pal Bonz here the perfect strategy."

"You've fought your last card, Joey," goaded Bonz. "Now you're about to join the other monsters in this graveyard field. Play your next card or rest in peace."

Joey looked down at Serenity's picture. "For your sake, I've got to win," he promised.

"No! All your hopes and all your dreams will die right here," said Bonz.

"Says you," Joey barked as he played a card face down. "I'll keep all my defenses up until I can find a way to attack."

"You know, you shouldn't broadcast your strategy; especially when it's a losing one," said Keith. "Bonz has a special card in his deck that will render all your defenses useless."

Joey assumed that Keith was bluffing, but learned that he was serious when he saw Bonz play the Stop Defense magic card. With Joey's last defense gone, he was forced to go to the offense. Thankfully, the card he drew was his mighty Red-Eyes Black Dragon. With its Inferno Fire Blast, the King of Ghosts was incinerated. Now Bonz couldn't raise his monsters' attack power any higher and since Pumpking was already a zombie, Call of the Haunted had no effect on him. Keith couldn't believe that Joey would have such a rare card in his deck, but this was a minor setback. The rest of Bonz's monsters were still stronger than Joey's Black Dragon and could defeat it. With Joey's strongest monster gone, he was out of options. The only monster in his hand was Battle Warrior and his attack power was only 700.

"Isn't there any way Joey can beat that little ghoul?" Tea asked.

"He's in a tough spot, Tea," Emily was telling her. "The zombies are too strong and as long as Stop Defense is in play, Joey is forced to play his monsters in attack mode."

Hearing that gave Yugi an idea. "Joey, there is a way to turn this duel around."

Joey looked at his friend and saw that passionate glow in his eyes, assuring him that he could win. So he put his faith in his next draw and his faith rewarded him. So he summoned Battle Warrior in attack mode and played the magic card he drew: Shield and Sword, swapping the attack and defense points of every monster on the field. The zombies were strong in offense, but they had no defense points. Now that their points had been swapped, they couldn't defend themselves. Now Battle Warrior's attack points had gone up to one thousand, more than enough to defeat Bonz's zombies and drain the rest of his life points. Disappointed in his efforts, Keith was leaving the arena.

"Bandit Keith," Joey called, "maybe next time, you'll have the nerve to duel me face-to-face instead of hiding behind your creepy flunkies."

Keith just scoffed. "Duel you face-to-face? Look, punk, Duel Monsters is about keeping your opponents off balance and winning the match, not how you go about it."

"What a jerk," Tea groaned, watching him walk away.

"Guys, look, I'm sorry," Joey told his friends. "I didn't mean to drag you all into this mess."

"Next time, don't be in such a big hurry to run off on your own," Tristan scolded.

Yugi spoke in a more forgiving manner. "We all know it wasn't your fault, Joey."

"Yeah, I mean, as long as he won the match, we can forgive him," said Tristan.

"I admit you had us pretty worried," said Tea.

"But you really came through," Emily added.

Joey chuckled. "I just got lucky."

Yugi disagreed. "It wasn't luck, Joey. It was your courage and determination, your trust in the cards, and the promise you made to your sister." Hearing that, Joey looked down at his dueling glove and saw the he only needed two more star chips.

"So now can we get out of this creepy pit," asked Tea. Everyone else agreed and left the arena. They went back on the path they took to get inside, but on their way out, they saw that the exit was being sealed.

On the other side, Keith's lackeys were pushing a boulder to block the way and keep them from getting out. "Tough luck, guys. Looks like you're stuck in that cave for life." Now that that was over, it was time to settle things with his trio of delinquents. First he took down Zigor and swiped his star chips. When Bonz asked what was wrong, he told them, "What's wrong is that you lost."

"But, Boss, I did everything you told me to," Bonz explained.

"You lost!" Keith roared and knocked down Sid and Bonz. "There, ten star chips," he said, placing them in his dueling glove. "Not exactly how I planned to get them, but at least now I know I'll get into the castle." So he went on his way, leaving Sid, Bonz, and Zigor on the dirt.


	15. Double Trouble Duel

Double Trouble Duel

It was plain to see that there was no way to remove the boulder blocking the exit. The team had no choice but to look for another way out. It wouldn't be easy, however, because there were several tunnels going on for miles. It wasn't hopeless either, for Bakura's Millennium Ring started activating and guiding everyone down a new path. Remembering what Bakura talked about with Yugi, he wondered if the Ring was perhaps detecting a Millennium Item and leading everyone to it. So far, the team had nothing to lose, so they followed Bakura.

Everyone walked several miles underground and noticed a change in their surroundings. The rocks in the walls seemed neatly arranged like bricks. The tunnels were starting to look like a labyrinth from here on out. Finally, they came to what looked like a dueling arena. Guarding the arena were two men known as the Paradox brothers; employed by Pegasus as eliminators. Yugi saw that the only way to get past this obstacle was to face the Paradox brothers in a duel with the help of Joey. But even if they would win, they would have to face a new challenge. The Paradox brothers were also guarding two doors behind them. One door would lead to freedom while the other would lead to an endless labyrinth. Yugi and Joey decided to worry about that after the duel. They still had to be careful for neither of them had played a tag team duel before. The rules remained the same, but if one duelist should lose, his teammate will fall with him. Joey realized that Yugi was putting a lot of faith in him and didn't want to make any mistakes.

The duel was already going to be interesting, however. Dox had turned the arena into a maze by playing the Labyrinth Wall. Now instead of regular combat, the monsters in the duel would act like pieces of a board game and move to a limited number of spaces. They would still fight and inflict damage to the players' life points, but the players also had to protect their side of the maze.

For Yami's first move, he played Beaver Warrior and had it move four paces into the maze, equal to its level. It didn't seem like a bad start until Para merged the Labyrinth Wall with his Shadow Ghoul to form Wall Shadow. Because the phantom was a part of the wall, it could move anywhere it wanted and attack with no warning. When Joey saw the Wall Shadow attack Beaver Warrior, he knew he had to find a way to draw it out into the opening. Since he couldn't see the phantom, he couldn't risk attacking, so he played Axe Raider without moving it into the maze and laid a card face down on the field.

It was a smart move on Joey's part, but Dox decided to place a surprise in store by playing a card face down. After that, he summoned Labyrinth Tank, a machine armed with futuristic weaponry that was too advanced for something archaic like Joey's warrior. Being a high level monster, the Tank could move up to seven spaces into the maze. With that being done, Yami played Celtic Guardian and sent him into the maze. This was the opportunity he and Joey needed to draw Wall Shadow out into the open. When Para called it to attack, Joey revealed his trap Kunai with Chain, catching Wall Shadow and raising Celtic Guardian's attack points by 500. Now that Wall Shadow was gone, Yami and Joey's monsters were free to walk through the maze. To join the team, Joey played his Flame Swordsman. The trap effect of Joey's Kunai with Chain had already been used, but his Axe Raider could still use it as a weapon. It even raised his attack points by 500. Dox had the Labyrinth Tank move seven more paces closer to the other side of the arena, but Yami was ready. He played Dark Magician to join his comrades. The Paradox brothers decided to change the game. With the Magical Labyrinth card, the entire maze began to change shape and divided Yami and Joey's monsters.

Joey saw right away that he needed to reconsolidate his forces with Yami's, so he had his Axe Raider move further into the maze, unaware that he was walking into a trap. One of the panels contained a spider mark on it. When the Axe Raider stepped on it, a spider called Jerai Gumo appeared and destroyed the warrior. Now Yami and Joey both had 1600 life points. To keep their opponents guessing, Dox played another card face down on the field. Yami decided to play a few tricks of his own; rather a magic show by playing Mystic Box. Two Boxes materialized around Dark Magician and Jerai Gumo. The Box containing Dark Magician had swords placed inside of it. When both Boxes opened up, to everyone's amazement, it was the spider that was skewered. Both monsters had switched places before the swords came along. Now that the Labyrinth Tank was in striking range, Dark Magician was able to destroy it.

Para drew a card from his deck and saw that it was one of the necessary components he and his brother needed for their strategy. When he placed it on the field, it displayed a box with the insignia of thunder. It didn't look like much, but Yami could sense a strange power pulsating from inside. Joey had a bad feeling about the card also and saw that he had to continue his team efforts with Yami, so he moved his Swordsman five more spaces to join Dark Magician. This time, Dox drew the second necessary card for their strategy and played it, revealing a box containing the insignia of water. To complete his turn, he revealed his hidden monster Dungeon Worm. It had only 1800 attack points, but Dox raised its power by 400 by playing the magic card Invigoration. As a burrower, there was no limit to the number of spaces the Worm could move; meaning it could strike from anywhere. And its first prey was Celtic Guardian; taking 800 of Yami's life points.

To protect his Dark Magician and Joey's Flame Swordsman, Yami played Magical Hats to conceal them. The next few moves would come down to luck in anyone's favor. If the Dungeon Worm chooses the Hat concealing the Dark Magician, the Worm will only end up destroying itself. That would guarantee the safety of Joey's Swordsman. But the Paradox brothers knew how to raise their chances for success. Para summoned Monster Tamer, raising Dungeon Worm's attack points by 400 and giving him control over it. Luckily for Yami and Joey, the Hat Para ordered Dungeon Worm to attack was empty. Joey knew how to get them out of this situation, though. He uncovered his Flame Swordsman and raised its attack points by 700 with the power of his magic card Salamandra. And since Dungeon Worm was vulnerable to fire, its attack points returned to its original 1800.

Finally, Dox drew the last card necessary to complete their strategy. He played it, revealing a box with the insignia of wind printed on it. Now that all boxes were in play, they opened up, releasing a powerful aura and creating a mighty warrior known as the Gate Guardian. It was three monsters in one and the Paradox brothers were about to show Yami and Joey its awesome power. But the Gate Guardian was forbidden to attack after its creation. Not that it was enough time for Yami to plan a counter attack. There wasn't a monster powerful enough in his deck to stand against the Gate Guardian. All he could do was place two cards face down.

The Paradox brothers were ready to attack. Unfortunately, they chose Joey's Flame Swordsman and he had nothing to protect himself. Yami did, however. He revealed one of his hidden cards. It was Mirror Force, reflecting Gate Guardian's attack back at him. But the gatekeeper activated another one of his special abilities, Squall Barricade, shielding himself from the blasts. But the Monster Tamer was not so lucky and ended up being destroyed.

Before Joey makes his move, Yami tells him to look closely at the Gate Guardian. It was made up of three monsters and each monster had its own attack and defense power. They figured that they could defeat the Gate Guardian by taking out each section. Joey agrees that it's an effort worth taking, so he orders his Flame Swordsman to attack Kazejin, the middle section. But it wouldn't be easy. If they just attack one section, the others will defend. The lower section, Suijin, activates its Tidal Defense ability to block Joey's attack. After that, the water elemental attacks by flooding the entire labyrinth. Joey's Swordsman ends up being washed away, but the mystic properties of the Magical Hats protects Yami's Dark Magician. Dox ordered the Gate Guardian to attack once again, but saw that the gatekeeper was paralyzed. The effects of the water elemental not only dampened the field, but also activated the trap Yami hid underneath his Magical Hats. It was the second hidden card, Spellbinding Circle; lowering Gate Guardian's defense points by 700 and made him unable to attack. Yami wasn't going to attack with Dark Magician, though. Instead, he played Summoned Skull to finish what Joey started. The water conducted the electricity of Summoned Skull's attack and guided it to the Gate Guardian, destroying Suijin.

The Paradox brothers weren't going to give up yet. Their mighty monster was only damaged, not beaten. Para played Remove Trap to free Gate Guardian from the Spellbinding Circle, making him able to fight again. Joey decided to continue to support Yami by playing his Red-Eyes Black Dragon. Now they could really combine their team efforts by combining their monsters together; by means of Polymerization, of course. Now Red-Eyes Black Dragon and Summoned Skull were combined into the supreme Black Skull Dragon. But as supreme as the new Dragon was, it wasn't a threat to the Paradox brothers. The rules of the labyrinth included prohibition of flight, which was the only way the Black Skull Dragon could move. But Yami promised Joey he had a plan. For now, they had to continue contending with the Gate Guardian.

But just when they thought the match was going in their favor, the Paradox brothers knew how to keep making their Gate Guardian more formidable. Dox played a magic card called Riryoku; draining half of Joey and Yami's life points to strengthen the Gate Guardian. The cost of using that card prevented it from attacking, however. That would give Yami and Joey some time to turn things around. For his turn, Yami dispelled his Magical Hats and brought Dark Magician back into the labyrinth. Moving six spaces forward, the mage and the gatekeeper were standing face-to face. But in case the Paradox brothers would have any more surprises in store, Yami placed a card face down on the table. Para had Gate Guardian attack, giving Yami the chance to reveal his hidden card. It was Monster Reborn, and Yami used it to resurrect Suijin. Using his Tidal Shield, he defended Dark Magician from the attack. Joey saw that Yami was doing his best to buy some time, but he had to help keep their comeback going. So he played Copycat and used Riryoku's effect to drain half of the Paradox brothers' life points, raising Black Skull Dragon's attack power all the way up to 4000.

Dox was confused. Why would they power up a monster that was useless to attack? If they were smart, they would do it to Suijin because he was the monster he was going to attack. Suijin was in trouble. He was able to defend himself from one attack, but not two. That was why Dox split the Gate Guardian's attack. But this was all part of Yami's strategy. He wanted the Paradox brothers to attack Suijin so the Dark Magician would be safe. That was when he played the Monster Exchange magic card, swapping Dark Magician's position with Black Skull Dragon's. Being the strongest monster on the field, it could take out the Gate Guardian with one final ferocious assault and reduce the Paradox brothers' life points to zero. The duel was over, but there was one last challenge Yami and Joey had to face.


	16. A Serious Bargain

A Serious Bargain

During Yami and Joey's duel with the Paradox brothers, Kaiba was making his way to Pegasus' castle. He met up with Kemo and told him to escort him to his little brother. Kemo was reluctant to take Kaiba to Mokuba, but figured he could use this to his advantage. No one takes Pegasus by surprise and Kemo assumed that he probably knew Kaiba was coming. Nonetheless, he brought him to the dungeon, but did not take him to his brother's cellar. Instead, Kemo activated the alarm and reported to the guards that Kaiba was in the dungeon. But Kaiba was cunning and knew how to get to Mokuba without getting caught. He heard some of the guards mention standing guard by his brother's cell, so he followed them. When he got to the hall, he knocked two men unconscious and finally came to Mokuba's cell, calling his name.

Mokuba looked up. "Seto. It's you. It's really you," he said, happy to see his big brother. "I knew you'd come."

"Little brother," Kaiba whispered affectionately.

"So what now?" Mokuba tries approaching the gate, but can't with his legs in shackles and chained to the wall. Kaiba gets on his knees and begins trying to pick the lock, but stops once he hears clapping. He turns around and sees Pegasus.

"Well done, Kaiba. I knew you'd come for Mokuba."

"Pegasus, you snake," Kaiba hissed. "Tell me something, did you forsee what I'm about to do to you for harming my little brother?"

But Pegasus wasn't intimidated by Kaiba's empty threats. "Actually, I predict you won't lay a finger on me. In my dungeon, in my castle, in my realm, the only one who makes threats is me."

When Kaiba asked what he meant, Pegasus tapped into the power of his Millennium Eye. The light blinded Kaiba for a few seconds, but after hearing Mokuba scream, he turned and saw his brother lying on the ground motionless. "Mokuba," gasped Kaiba. He faced Pegasus and saw him holding a card containing his brother's image. "You monster! What have you done to him?"

"I've ensured your cooperation," Pegasus replied. "You see, Mokuba's soul is imprisoned in a place where the locks can't be picked. And there he will remain until you beat me in a duel."

"Duel? With you? Now?" Kaiba asked, sounding desperate. "Fine, I'll do anything."

Pegasus shook his head. "First you must earn the privilege to challenge me. And you can only do that by defeating little Yugi in a duel. But if you can't win against him, Mokuba's soul will remain mine forever."

Meanwhile, Yami and Joey took the next challenge of guessing which door to take to get out of the caves. Tea was impatient and tired of these riddles. She tried to ask nicely how to get out, but the Paradox brothers enjoyed seeing everyone look so tormented. But this was another game to Yami and he knew the solution. In each hand, he held a coin marked with the same insignias on the doors. The coin he would choose would decide the path they would take. He revealed the coin in his left hand, containing the insignia on the door Dox was guarding. Para and Dox continued to torment them and said Yami's choice was poor. But the truth was Yami never showed them his choice. He revealed the coin in his second hand, which also contained Dox's insignia. If the Paradox brothers could choose the paths the doors were guarding, then Yami could choose the right door that would lead them to freedom. So he marked the first coin with both insignias on each side so they couldn't lose. Finally, the door Dox was guarding was open and everyone could pass through.

Back at the castle, Pegasus continued to be persuasive with Kaiba. "So what will it be, Seto Kaiba? Do you care so much about your brother to reclaim his soul? Not that you have a choice. Mokuba's soul belongs to me." He holds up his card once again. "So lifelike, but you would prefer him in the flesh, wouldn't you?"

Kaiba didn't have the patience for Pegasus' antics. He seemed desperate at first, but now he was on the verge of losing his temper. "You're not human!" he growled.

"Quite human actually, just extraordinarily gifted," protested Pegasus. He reaches into his pocket and presents five star chips. "Here, you'll need these for your duel with Yugi."

"Huh? Why are you doing this?"

"My reasons are none of your concern," Pegasus replied. Kaiba softly growled. "Maybe I just enjoy the struggle; watching the constant tug-of-war between you and Yugi boy. Or maybe I want something you're incapable of comprehending; something you'll end up delivering to me all tied up in a bow."

"Talk straight," Kaiba demanded. "What do you want?"

"Want? I want to see if you're capable of defeating little Yugi in a duel. And only if you successfully crush him in a humiliating defeat can you earn the opportunity to duel me. And if you beat me, I promise to restore your brother's soul."

No matter how impatient Kaiba was, he saw that this was a bargain he couldn't ignore. He had no choice to but accept Pegasus' proposal. "Soon," he promised. "As soon as I defeat Yugi, I'll be back. And you'd better make good on your promise to restore my brother's soul. Because if you don't, I'll take great pleasure in separating your soul from your body in my own way!"

Pegasus just chuckled in amusement towards Kaiba's outraged façade. He could tell that deep down, he was desperate and forced to play a game he can't back out of.

Finally, Yugi and his friends were out of the caves and back into the open fields where they could breathe in the fresh air and feel the sun's heat. Just then, Bakura's Millennium Ring started glowing again, pointing towards Pegasus' castle. Now that Yugi and Joey had ten star chips, they could gain entry.

Tea was proud of her friends for all that they had endured and accomplished. But she couldn't help but think about Yugi's behavior throughout the whole tournament. _It all paid off for Yugi. Sometimes he seems so gentle; you wouldn't think he'd even challenge another duelist. But when he duels, it seems like he's someone else; someone more confident and determined than the Yugi I know,_ she wondered. _It's almost as if there are two Yugis. Our friend whom we've known for years and a more mysterious guy who shows up only when Yugi's in over his head._ Then it came to her; the Shadow Game between Yami and Bakura. It wasn't a dream after all. It really did happen and there were two Yugis: their friend who was joining them in the game and a more serious being guiding them throughout the match.

Yugi noticed a troubled look on Tea's face. "Something wrong?"

Tea shakes her head. "I was just wondering, do you ever feel-?"

But she never got to ask because her thoughts were interrupted by Joey's calls. "Hey, you guys, what's the holdup?" He was already climbing up the stairs with Tristan and Bakura.

"Hurry up or we'll go inside without you," said Tristan.

"You know, since none of us are even supposed to be here, maybe we should wait for him," protested Bakura. Tristan figured he had a good point.

Yugi was on his way to the stairs until he tripped over a small rock and fell in the dirt. "This is how you're going to rescue your grandpa?" Tea asked him as he was rubbing his scrapes.

He looked back at her. "I rescued you, remember?"

Tea did remember. It was after Yugi solved the Millennium Puzzle and before Emily moved into town. She was working as a waitress in a fast food restaurant. When Joey and Yugi came by for lunch, she was afraid of losing her job because she was still in high school and didn't meet the age requirement necessary for hire. Yugi and Joey didn't know she was working there and didn't appreciate her negative attitude. Tea confessed that she was only doing this to pay for dance lessons so she could soon start fulfilling her dream as a dancer; to study ballet in New York after graduating. She felt embarrassed, but wasn't laughed at. Her friends encouraged her that she should follow her dreams. Tea's anger faded and turned into love and appreciation.

The next day, Tea received a message in her locker telling her to meet her friends in an abandoned warehouse they figured she could use as a dance studio. She went there immediately after school to check it out, but instead of her friends waiting for her, it was a man threatening to take whatever money she had with her. Yugi came to her rescue and tried to fight, but didn't stand a chance. Tea tried to fight back, but was knocked unconscious. That was when Yugi tapped into the power of his Millennium Puzzle and challenged the thug to a game. It was a simple game in which both players had to draw a single card and the strongest card would win. The thief found Yami's proposal ridiculous, but he accepted nonetheless. He drew the first card, which turned out to be Curse of Dragon. Yami drew his card, which was the Dark Magician. The thug tried to attack Yami and escape, but Yami used the power of Mind Crush to send him to the Shadow Realm. Finally, Tea came to and was promised that everything was all right now.

"Tea? Tea," Emily called. "Yugi asked you if you remembered."

After thinking about it, she finally answered. "Yeah, I remember. But what was it you did to that guy that day, Yugi?"

In honesty, Yugi answered, "I'm not sure. When I came to, that mugger was already on the ground. I don't remember anything about it at all."

"You're a mysterious guy, Yugi," said Tea. That was when she had to ask him if he ever felt strange like he was a whole other person. Yugi understood what she meant and confessed he did feel that way and hoped he wasn't losing it.

Emily stood up and said, "Well, whatever's going on, both of you are really good guys." Even she remembered what happened and knew that there was another Yugi aside from her longtime friend. Tea felt the same way.

Joey called out to them again. "Hey, do we have to carry you guys up? What's the holdup?"

Tea and Emily held out their hands to help Yugi up. "Come on, let's go." And together, they rejoin their friends and resume their path up the stairs.

They made it to the top, but couldn't believe who was blocking their way to the door. Seeing that it's Kaiba, they start wondering what he wants. "I can't let you pass, Yugi."

"I've won ten star chips, so stand aside," Yugi demanded.

But Kaiba refused. "You may have won enough star chips to qualify for the Duelist Kingdom playoffs, but I can't allow you to face Pegasus. He's mine. You and I are going to have one final duel. You will lose and I will win. The winds of change are blowing, Yugi Muto." At first, Kaiba was against the thought of having to fight Yugi for the right to face Pegasus. But it was a match he was looking forward to. Still, he didn't want it to be based upon this present predicament.

Again, Yugi asked Kaiba to move. "Step aside, Kaiba."

"Not until you agree to duel me," he said again.

"I'm not dueling you," Yugi debated. "I don't have to."

Kaiba needed to find another way to persuade Yugi to accept his challenge. So he decided to do what he does best and taunt his opponents. "So, no longer confident your so-called 'Heart of the Cards' can help you win or are you afraid you can't beat me without Exodia? That's it, isn't it, Yugi? You're just afraid you can't beat me a second time, you coward."

The others didn't appreciate his pessimism. "You back off," Tea told him. "He doesn't have to prove anything.

Joey was just as frustrated and decided to be the one to face Kaiba. But Tristan and Bakura stopped him. "Don't forget when you battled him before, he slaughtered you." Joey groaned hearing Bakura say that.

Looking at Joey's dueling glove, Kaiba saw that it was full. He still wasn't impressed with his efforts and continued to put dog insults on him. "You win them yourself or did Yugi throw you a few bones?" Joey even snarled like a dog hearing Kaiba say that. "Don't let him snap his chain. There's no pleasure in humiliating you again, Joey. There's only one person who's ever defeated me in Duel Monsters and that's Yugi." But how Yami did it still irritates Kaiba despite the many times he looked back on their first duel; how he devastated Yami's life points and was taken down by that one final move as Yami achieved the unachievable.

"Yugi, you said you won by tapping into the Heart of the Cards. For a long time, I didn't know what that meant. But now, I think I do. And it took Pegasus to show me." Kaiba takes out his locket and looks at the picture of his little brother, promising to rescue him and not let anything stand in his way. "For the first time, Yugi, I can duel with fire and passion in my heart."

Yugi could sense that Kaiba was serious and that he was fighting for more than just himself. Like Yugi, Kaiba was fighting for someone he cared about.

But his friends were still against the thought of dueling Kaiba. "Yugi, you can't accept this duel," Bakura tells him.

"You've already won enough star chips to gain entry into the castle," said Tea.

"I've changed," Kaiba confessed. "I deserve a rematch. Give me a chance to show you what I've learned. Let me play you for the right reasons." This was the last time Kaiba would try persuading Yugi to duel him.

Yugi couldn't forget all that his grandfather taught him about the Heart of the Cards and fighting for a loved one. He just had to accept Kaiba's challenge and see if he really had learned anything. Finally, He taps into his Millennium Puzzle, letting Yami take charge and accept the duel.

Kaiba got the answer he was looking for. Satisfied, he decided to lead Yami and his friends to the top of the castle.


	17. Face Off

Face Off

The stage was set. Whoever would win the match would face Pegasus, leaving the loser to be a broken man. It would be quite so with a lot on the line for the two duelists. Yami and Kaiba agreed to wager five stars; giving the winner the right to enter the castle. They would also battle with the duel disk prototypes.

Kaiba made his first move by summoning Ryu-Kishin Powered; a fiend with an attack strength of 1600. But not only did the monster appear. The cards in Kaiba's hand were also displayed as holographic projections. Yami made his move by summoning Curse of Dragon. Mightier than his own monster, Kaiba taunted Yami to attack. Yami, of course, wouldn't hold back and attacked away; dealing 400 points of damage to Kaiba's life points. But this was all part of Kaiba's plan. To prove it, he played Swordstalker. Its strength was equal to Curse of Dragon's, but gained an additional 400 life points due to Ryu-Kishin's destruction. Kaiba declared an attack, but Yami saved his monster just in time with the effect of the Monster Replace magic card; placing Dark Magician in play and destroying Swordstalker. After that, Yami put Curse of Dragon back into play.

Kaiba wasn't too concerned about losing another hundred life points. He decided to face Yami with a magician of his own and summoned La Jinn, the Mystical Genie. Without taking any time to think, Yami declared an attack with his Dark Magician. That was a mistake. Kaiba activated his Ancient Lamp trap, drawing the Genie inside and backfiring the assault on Curse of Dragon.

For all of Kaiba's bragging and goading, the score was tied with both duelists standing at 1500 life points. But neither of them would hold back. These two were going to give it everything they had and Kaiba already had a plan waiting in the midst. He just had to keep setting his opponent up as he was doing. It was his turn again, but instead of dealing damage to Yami's life points, he decided to deal damage to his cards. Kaiba played De-Spell, destroying Yami's Swords of Revealing Light in his hand.

It wasn't a major loss for Yami, but he was a little concerned about what Kaiba could possibly be planning. The last time the two faced each other, Kaiba spent half the match tormenting Yami, but now, he was serious. Yami decided to take advantage of the matter by playing Eye of Truth, a card that would allow him a glance at his opponent's hand. The Eye of Truth revealed De-Spell, Saggi the Dark Clown, Ancient Lamp, and Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Now Yami was really concerned and wondered why Kaiba had not yet played his powerful card. Seeing Yami look so flustered, Kaiba assumed he had nothing to worry about and figured it would be all right to keep his opponent in suspense. For now, he told Yami to complete his turn.

Yami decided not to worry about Blue-Eyes for a while. Right now, the real issue at hand was getting past Kaiba's Genie. But first, he had to find a way to get rid of the Ancient Lamp. So Yami decided to put on a magic show by playing Mystic Box. One Box materialized around Dark Magician and was skewered. But when it opened up, it revealed the Ancient Lamp and Dark Magician emerged from the second Box unharmed. Now both spellcasters were out in the open and Dark Magician could finally land an attack on the Genie and deal 700 points of damage to Kaiba's life points.

An impressive comeback on Yami's part, Kaiba had to admit, but he was not willing to let the duel go out of his favor. He decided to devastate Yami's deck even further with a surprise combo. He played Saggi the Dark Clown and equipped him with a hidden card he drew from his deck this turn. With such a weak monster in defense mode, Yami knew it would be a waste of his Dark Magician's efforts. So he instead played Gaia the Fierce Knight and figured it would be the perfect match. The Fierce Knight defeated the Dark Clown once before and would do it again. But this time, things would be different. The Dark Clown was not vanquished, but sacrificed. This was what Kaiba needed to put his combo in effect. The card he kept hidden was Crush Card; exposing one of the most deadly viruses in the card game. The virus had infected all but the weakest cards in Yami's deck; permitting him to play only spells and monsters with an attack strength of less than 1500.

There was no way Yami could win with weak monsters. For now, all he could do was defend his life points. So he played Silver Fang. With an attack strength of 1200, he was immune to Kaiba's virus. His defense points were low, but good enough to protect Yami's life points. But to Kaiba, this wolf was just a sacrificial lamb. And with a deck of mighty monsters, he could easily destroy whatever defense Yami would have in play. Kaiba summoned Battle Ox and had it put down Silver Fang with its Axe Slam Attack. Thankfully, Silver Fang was in defense mode and Yami took no damage from the attack. Yami played Griffore; a monster with power equal to Silver Fang's. But he wasn't playing it to defend; rather to attack. Yami strengthened Griffore's attack points by 700 with the Horn of the Unicorn and defeated Battle Ox.

Kaiba certainly didn't see that coming. Now he was down to 600 life points, but he knew how to restore them. If there was anything Kaiba knew about the game, it was that opponents have a tendency to snatch victory by draining life points. But Kaiba had no intention of giving Yami such an opportunity. So he invoked the magic of his Gift of the Mystical Elf trap and restored his life points by 300. Finally, Kaiba was ready to play his Blue-Eyes White Dragon. He decided to hold on to the other ones he drew a few turns ago, but this one monster would be enough to destroy Yami's monster. Now Yami was down to a sparse 400. For his last defense, he played Giant Soldier of Stone.

At last, Kaiba could complete his strategy. Now that he had all the necessary cards, he could finally bring forth the ultimate monster in his deck. He put all three of his Blue-Eyes White Dragons in play and combined them together to form Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. With an attack strength of 4500, sure enough, three heads are better than one. And to prove it, all three heads combined their power into a Neutron Blast; turning Yami's Stone Soldier into dust. Yami had never felt so amazed and frightened at the same time. What Kaiba was doing throughout the match was so brilliant: dismantling Yami's deck and setting him up for this ferocious Ultimate Dragon. To Kaiba, this was no game, but a battle of life and death and he was about to crush Yami. But it still amused him to see his opponent trembling, so he continued to goad him. Part of Kaiba wanted Yami to concede the match, but the other half of him wanted his opponent to fight on with whatever little strength he had left in him.

Yami wasn't sure what to do. Surrendering wasn't an option because Yugi would lose his only chance to rescue his grandfather. But there was nothing in his deck that could stand against the Ultimate Dragon. But the whole gang wouldn't give up on their friend. They continued to encourage him and tell him to keep going. It was true that the odds were against Yami, but they told him to keep believing in himself. Listening to everyone's words of encouragement, Yami had to put all of his faith in this one draw. He placed his hand on his card and prayed for the Heart of the Cards to see him through. He drew his card and after one glance, he knew what had to be done. Yami played a small creature named Kuriboh. It didn't look like much, but one shouldn't be fooled by what they see. Alone, Kuriboh seemed small and insignificant, but joined together with many more made it unstoppable. By playing the magic card Multiply, that one Kuriboh turned into a thousand. Even the Ultimate Dragon's Neutron Blast could not eliminate them. For each one destroyed, a new Kuriboh would appear. This was just the beginning. After Kaiba's failure to attack, Yami was ready to bring the Ultimate Dragon to its downfall. He combined Mammoth Graveyard with the rare and powerful Living Arrow. The magic effect of the Living Arrow usually turned a monster or spell's effect against the player, but Yami used its power to merge his own beast with Kaiba's Dragon. The fusion wouldn't be proper since Yami's beast was an undead-type monster. Instead, it would slowly destroy the Dragon from within like a disease.

Kaiba was starting to break down. He had the ultimate weapon and Yami had the ultimate shield. Each attack would only end in failure and with each passing turn, the Ultimate Dragon was rotting away and becoming weaker. Now it was barely alive and down to a mere 900 attack points. Seeing his sick monster made Kaiba stand frozen. Personally, it was sad for everyone to see a duelist of his caliber take losing so hard.

Now that the carcass of a monster was weak enough, it didn't matter what monster Yami would use against it. To his satisfaction, the monster he drew was Celtic Guardian. With one mighty swing of his blade, the Guardian sliced off one of the Dragon's heads and dealt 500 points of damage to Kaiba. One more attack would guarantee Yami's victory in the next move.

But Kaiba was not willing to let that happen. Finally, he spoke up. "Yugi, it can't end this way," he debated, keeping his cool. Usually, opponents would whine about seeing their defeat unfair, but Kaiba was not one of those kinds of people. "If I don't defeat you in this duel, Pegasus will keep Mokuba prisoner," he paused, then added, "forever. I can't let that happen." He knew he had no card with the power to reverse the damage that had been done to his Dragon, but players always have more than one strategy to ensure their victory. In a battle of life and death, there are no rules. Down to his last resort, Kaiba walked back and stood on a ledge. If Yami were to attack, the resulting shock waves would cause Kaiba to lose his balance and force him to fall to his death. He wouldn't even be willing to get off to save himself. Of course, Kaiba knew Yami would never do anything to hurt Kaiba even after all he had put him through. And although they understood each other's reasons for needing to win, they didn't know that each other's loved one was in the same situation.

To Kaiba's fortune, the card he drew was Monster Reborn and he used it to revive the head that was destroyed. But Kaiba would not attack just yet. He wanted to give Yami one last chance to decide; leaving his fate completely in his hands. Now that he had a monster on the offense, Yami's life points were open to attack. And now that one Dragon head was healthy, it would be free to attack, but only if Yami would decide not to attack another sickly head. The score stood with both players having 400 life points, but how this duel would end would be based upon Yami's decision. Must he or mustn't he? The same battle was raging inside of him as well. The true Yugi would not bear to hurt Kaiba, but Yami would do anything to win no matter what the cost. That same spirit took over and declared an attack.

Watching from the sidelines, Tea and Emily couldn't bear it. They saw Yugi's struggle and told him that this was wrong and it wasn't like their beloved friend. The girls ran toward him, crying out for him to call off the attack. That was when their friend regained control. Hearing their cries, he fell on his knees and called for his monster to stop. Hearing Yugi's voice and sensing his fear, Celtic Guardian stopped charging and faced the ground in sadness. Kaiba knew Yugi couldn't do it. He knew his opponent too well. He quickly ended the battle, destroying Celtic Guardian and reducing Yugi's life points to zero.

Surrounded by all of his friends, Yugi couldn't pull himself together. He knew he had to tell them what was going on. "I almost couldn't control it," he sobbed, "this other presence within me. He was willing to go all the way against Kaiba!"

Joey and Tristan were confused, but Bakura explained, "Like me, Yugi has an ancient spirit living within his Millennium Item."

"I'm so afraid of this spirit," Yugi confessed, shuddering and still crying. "So afraid, that I can never duel again."

Tea and Emily got down on their knees and found themselves crying as well. "We're sorry," Emily whispered sympathetically. "Sorry you couldn't save your grandpa. But you did the right thing. You couldn't hurt another person."

As Yugi faced the girls, Tea released her tears and agreed. "He wouldn't want to be saved that way."

"Then I guess he got what he wanted," Kaiba said coldly. Clearly he was not grateful to Yugi for letting him win the duel or willing to swallow his pride and show heart. "If Yugi had done what needed to be done, he would be entering the castle instead of me. But he was too weak to defeat me."

Outraged with Kaiba, Emily had enough of him treating her friends this way. It was bad enough for him to cause the boy she loved dearly so much pain, but for Kaiba to keep up this heartless act just made her lose it. "He spared you!" she scolded. "Kaiba, he showed you compassion, which is more than you could ever deserve!"

"He lost the game," debated Kaiba.

"The game?" echoed Tea. Even she was just as hurt and outraged with Kaiba. "Yugi may have lost one lousy Duel Monsters game, but at least he hasn't lost his heart! Not like you, Seto Kaiba. You've spent so much time with machines; you've forgotten what being human is about!"

Emily could not hold back her tears. She instead lowered her voice. "Yugi has a heart, Kaiba. Yugi has us; friends who will stand right with him to the end no matter whether he wins or loses one lousy Duel Monsters game."

"And what do you have, Seto Kaiba? What do you have for the end of the day? Tell us," Tea demanded. "Tell us!"

"I have all that I need," Kaiba answered, gathering his star chips and heading to the main gate. He presented them to Kemo and was granted access inside. _At last, I'm in,_ Kaiba thought. _And I'm ready to face you, Pegasus, once and for all._


	18. Fighting for a Loved One

Fighting for a Loved One

Yugi couldn't pull himself together after his match with Kaiba. Scared and confused, he wondered what was becoming of him. One minute, Yugi is battling Kaiba and the next, he's battling himself. It took everything he had to hold back the other presence within him and that gave Kaiba the edge to win. But Yugi had to let Kaiba win. He would never forgive himself if Kaiba got injured or even killed. This was why Yugi decided never to duel again. He feared that if he did, the same thing could happen and the spirit within would hurt another person.

But the others wouldn't give up. They understood Yugi's pain and realized that getting into the castle was the least of his problems right now. But they continued to help him any way that they could. Joey even offered his own star chips to Yugi. He didn't forget his sister, but he couldn't abandon his friend right now. He tried urging Yugi to take his star chips, but was about to lose his patience as he remained frozen and lost in himself.

Just then, Mai and Max appeared. "If you guys have enough star chips, why are you hanging out here?" asked Max.

"It's Yuge," Joey answered as he finally calmed down. "He lost his chips to Kaiba and now it's like he's lost the will to go on."

Hearing that, Mai and Max figured it was lucky for everybody that they came when they did. Mai walked towards Yugi to help him out in her own way. "Listen up. Especially you, Yugi. You got beat, but that doesn't mean it's the end of the world. When I got beat, I thought it was all over for me too. But then Yugi stepped in and saved my star chips and now I'm returning the favor," Mai said, presenting him with the eight star chips she promised him. Everyone was amazed, but wondered what Mai was thinking. Max reminded them that her generosity wasn't senseless. Mai had ten star chips of her own.

Yugi saw the star chips in Mai's hand, but would not take them. He remained motionless and quiet. Even Mai was upset seeing him this way and found it pathetic. "I understand," she said. "Your friend lost one duel and now he's too chicken to play again. Isn't that right?" But even her obnoxious way would not break through to Yugi or even make him snap.

Mai challenged Yugi because she wanted him to prove him wrong. But it was clear that he would not go through with it. That was when Emily spoke up and decided to duel Mai on Yugi's behalf. "I'll duel you right here, right now, for Yugi." She reached into her purse and pulled out her deck. "You and me."

But Mai didn't take her seriously. "A rookie like you wouldn't stand a chance in a duel against me."

Emily saw that Mai was right, but she was willing to take her chances. "Yes, I would."

Even Max thought she was being ridiculous. "Look, Em, what you're doing for Yugi is sweet, but sweet doesn't win duels."

Even the others weren't too sure. Emily was still only a beginner like they were. True, she had a few victories at school, but this would be different. Mai was an expert and Emily was a novice. But she was fighting for someone she cared about and everyone knows that when doing so, anything is possible. So they agreed that Emily might have a chance. Besides, this match could help Yugi a lot.

The stage was set as Mai and Emily took their places at the arena at the bottom of the stairs. Emily made the first move by summoning Ebon Magician Curran in attack mode. She was a midget of a spellcaster and wore black clothing and a headdress with rabbit ears. Curran had no defense points, but 1200 attack points.

Seeing a cute little Magician on the field, Mai still couldn't take Emily seriously. She summoned Harpy Lady in attack mode and placed a card face down on the field. The Harpy attacked Curran and took away a hundred of Emily's life points. Things were going steady so far, so Emily wasn't feeling too worried. For her next move, she summoned Magician's Valkyria.

"Another Magician," Mai asked. "What are we having here, a duel or a magic show?" Clearly, she wasn't intimidated. Valkyria was 300 points stronger than Harpy Lady, but as Emily commenced the attack, Mai powered up her Harpy with Cyber Shield. Now Harpy Lady was once again a hundred attack points stronger than Emily's monster and Emily lost another hundred life points. A clever move on Mai's part. She tricked Emily into thinking her Valkyria was stronger than Harpy Lady, but what she didn't reveal until after Emily attacked was her equip card.

The magic show was only just beginning for Emily. She drew her next card which turned out to be Curran's counterpart, White Magician Pikeru. It was one of her most valued spellcasters in her deck and always came through for her. The White Magician's special ability gave the cardholder 400 life points for each monster in play. If only Pikeru was as strong as Emily was as she was trying to help her friends. If only all of her Magicians were as strong as her friends as everyone was helping one another out. Each Magician would have Joey's loyalty, Tristan's spirit, Tea's compassion, Yugi's courage, and Emily's love. But perhaps they were. Emily valued each of her Magicians the same way she valued her friends and she knew that they would be able to win the duel together. Finally, Emily placed Pikeru on the field along with a face down card.

"You kept me waiting for that little sprite?" Mai asked. Her Harpy Lady was already stronger than Pikeru, but Mai powered her up once again with the Rose Whip. Now Harpy Lady's attack points went all the way up to 2000. But Emily was ready. She revealed her hidden card Spellbinding Circle and used it to stop Harpy Lady's attack and even reduce her attack points by 700. She was still stronger than Pikeru, but Emily knew she would find a way to defeat Harpy Lady soon enough. Until that time would come, she would have to increase her forces and protect her life points. So she gained 400 life points thanks to Pikeru's special ability. After that, she played a monster in defense mode and used Book of Secret Arts to raise Pikeru's attack and defense power by 300 points.

"Fine with me," said Mai. "It's not like I don't have magic cards either." To remove Emily's trap and spell, Mai played Harpy's Feather Duster. Now Harpy Lady was free and got back her attack points while Pikeru lost the ones she gained. But instead of attacking Pikeru, Mai decided to attack Emily's hidden monster which turned out to be the Magician of Faith. "There, no more hope, no more faith, no more chances."

"By revealing my Magician of Faith, her special ability activates; allowing me to recover any magic card I lost," Emily explained. Obviously, the card she got back was the Book of Secret Arts.

"Look, Emily, I admit I'm impressed that you've lasted this long, but really, all you're doing is delaying the inevitable."

But Emily wasn't going to put up with Mai's pessimism this time. "Be silent," she told her. Although Emily was impressed with herself for her progress, she couldn't help but want to cry. "I don't care how much experience you have as a duelist. I don't care what the odds are. But when I'm fighting for someone I love, I risk all that I have to help that someone."

Mai understood what Emily was saying, but she had to be honest. "Yugi's given up on himself. You and your friends can't keep fighting for him. He has to face his own fears and battle his own enemies. And whatever's going on with him, Yugi has to face it himself."

Listening to Mai's words, Yugi wondered if she was right and figured he had given up too easily. But still, how can one face their fears when someone else is fighting alongside them? At the same time, He listened to Emily as she confessed that she had fears of her own. He even looked up at her as he saw her tremble in tears. "When someone I know needs my help, I never leave them. I may be scared, but I won't let that stop me from helping Yugi or from winning this duel." She paused for a minute as she released the tears in her eyes. "Don't let these tears fool you Mai," she sobbed, with seriousness in her tone. "I may be crying, but I'm not showing weakness. In fact, I've never felt stronger than I do now. And I know I can win. No, _we_ can win; me, my Magicians, and my friends." And a white light was shining on her forehead, revealing a strange symbol.

All of Emily's friends were taken in by her words. The courage she was showing was quite inspiring, even for Yugi. He could see that though she's frightened, she's willing to fight on because she's doing it for someone she cares about. That made Yugi realize he had to do the same thing and gather his own courage to battle on. As for Max, she knew she had seen this kind of courage and love before. Not quite taken in by her words the same way the others were, she still smiled and silently complemented her. And looking at the mark on Emily's forehead, Max recognized it as the Egyptian insignia for love.

It was Emily's turn again. Now that she had gathered her courage, she had to gather her faith. Everything was riding on this next draw. And her courage, love, and faith had all rewarded her as she drew Monster Reborn. She used it to resurrect Curran. Her two little Magicians were still weak, but Emily had the right cards in her hand. After receiving another four hundred life points from Pikeru, she powered up her mages with the field spell Yami; giving Pikeru and Curran 200 extra attack and defense points. After that, she played Magicians Unite to combine Pikeru and Curran's power for a 3000 point attack. Mai looked at her hand and saw a Harpy's Feather Duster card, but knew it would be meaningless to use it. So she kept Harpy Lady defenseless and received a thousand points of damage.

"Now that's the magic of friendship," Emily cheered, seeing Curran and Pikeru working together.

Rather than continue the duel, Mai told Emily that she was giving up and confessed that Harpy Lady was the strongest monster in her deck. It wasn't necessarily true. Mai didn't need to surrender and would have kept going, but she just knew that some cards weren't worth playing. Besides, she didn't need the extra star chips. Watching how the duel ended, Yugi whispered his gratitude to Mai for helping him remember that lesson.

"Yugi," Emily was saying. Feeling her heart racing, she held out her hands and said nervously, "I, umm… I won these for you."

"I know. Thank you," he said, clear enough for her to hear. "I'll never forget what you did for me, Emily. You overcame your fears and helped me to realize I must do the same if I expect to help someone I care about."

"I would do anything for you," she said truthfully. "You know that, right?"

Yugi placed his hands over Emily's. "I do," he answered. He grasped the star chips and finally took them from her. He also felt his heart racing as he and Emily looked at each other with shimmering eyes and small smiles. They moved closer to each other in hopes of kissing each other, but stopped themselves as they heard Max calling everyone's names. Instead, they held each other's hands and raced with their friends to the castle.


	19. Champion vs Creator

Champion vs. Creator

It wasn't easy getting into the castle with Kemo guarding the front gate since Tristan, Tea, Bakura, and Emily didn't have star chips to present. But thanks to a little help from Mai and Max, they were able to join all of their friends and leave Kemo locked outside. After passing through the great hall, they met up with Bandit Keith. Joey wanted to get back at him for trapping everyone in the caves. As amusing as Keith found Joey's temper, he wanted a real piece of entertainment. That was when Croquet appeared and told everyone that Pegasus was completely taken in by everyone's efforts and decided to reward them with a special duel.

Everyone looked down and saw Kaiba standing alone on one side of the platform and Pegasus walking across the other side. As promised, Pegasus was going to give Kaiba the chance to duel him for Mokuba's soul. Of course, there was nothing Pegasus found more amusing than to taunt his opponents and victims, but Kaiba wasn't in the mood for any more games. He wanted to get this over with. So he opened his briefcase and tossed one of his duel disks to Pegasus.

But the creator of Duel Monsters didn't know much about technological methods the same way Kaiba did. Since he wasn't sure how to operate the device, Pegasus requested that someone else would use it for him. But he promised it wouldn't change the game and he would still be playing. The one Pegasus called for was, to everyone's surprise, Mokuba. But they had never seen him look so lifeless before like a puppet.

When Yugi heard Pegasus mention that Mokuba's soul had been captured, he finally understood why Kaiba was risking his life in their duel. Even the rest of his friends understood and began feeling the need to support Kaiba. They even felt like all of their bitter feelings for him had gone away. But Kaiba was having second thoughts about his invention. He could never think about fighting against his own brother even if he was just an empty shell. So Kaiba gave in and decided to go about the match with its usual setup. Then the platform he and Pegasus were standing on split in half and an arena was set up between them. This was going to be one of the greatest matches in all of Duel Monsters as the game's greatest players would go out against each other.

Before the match would begin, Yugi called out to Kaiba in hopes of helping him to have a chance against Pegasus. But Kaiba would not take his rival's advice and insisted on wanting to play his own way. Yugi understood Kaiba's decision, but would not hold himself back from helping someone who was fighting for a loved one. After his own match with Pegasus, Yugi knew that the rules would be changed and Kaiba would need to fight with his heart as well as his head. Even Pegasus himself knew that Kaiba was overestimating his chances of victory and underestimating his own skill.

Now that the pleasantries were over, the battle could begin. Kaiba and Pegasus had known each other for a long time throughout their gaming reputations and now it was time to find out if the greatest player was the Duel Monsters champion or the creator. The creator of the game decided to make the first play by placing a card face down and a monster in defense mode. Kaiba also played a card face down and instead played a monster in attack mode. It was Rude Kaiser; an armored reptile with 1800 attack points. It attacked Pegasus' hidden monster Toon Alligator. It was quite a weak monster, but the next one Pegasus played was much stronger. It was Parrot Dragon and had 2200 attack points. But Kaiba was ready and revealed his trap Mesmeric Control; entrancing Parrot Dragon and lowering its attack points by 700. When Kaiba attacked, he saw right away that something was wrong. This was too easy. He could also see it behind Pegasus' act as an amateur. Watching from the sidelines, Yugi remembered how Pegasus put the same act on for him and assumed that not even Kaiba was being taken serious.

But Kaiba wasn't going to put up with Pegasus' antics any longer. He was about to make his move until Pegasus revealed his hidden card Prophecy. All he had to do was guess the card in Kaiba's hand and if his guess is correct, the card becomes his throughout the rest of the game. Using the magic of his Millennium Eye, Pegasus saw that the card Kaiba was about to play was Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Kaiba couldn't believe it, but he had no choice but to give up his Dragon. And without his Dragon, all he could do for now was defend himself, so he switched his Kaiser to defense mode.

Seeing the champion look flustered, Pegasus decided to look inside Kaiba's mind and see his strategy. Kaiba was planning to overwhelm Pegasus just as he did to Yugi in their match, but Pegasus would be ready. For now, he played a card face down and another monster in defense mode. Kaiba was still shaken from that last move, but wasn't willing to let it distract him. So he played Saggi the Dark Clown in attack mode and one card face down. But Pegasus knew that the hidden card was Crush Card and was prepared to avoid its devastating power. He revealed his hidden magic card, Negative Energy, doubling the power of dark attribute monsters. Now that Saggi's attack points were higher than 1000, the Crush Card would have no effect. Pegasus revealed his second card, Dark Rabbit. And thanks to the magic card, the Rabbit had 2200 attack points; more than enough to destroy the Dark Clown and deal 1000 points of damage to Kaiba.

This was too much for Kaiba to take in. Somehow, Pegasus could see his cards. But he tried to keep it together. So he played a card face down and another monster in defense mode. Pegasus decided to take the game to a whole new level by playing one of his most favorite cards. It was a magic card called Toon World. No one had ever seen a card like it before and everyone was anxious to witness all of its powers. Pegasus had his Dark Rabbit attack, destroying Kaiba's hidden monster, Battle Ox. After that, the Rabbit disappeared within the contents of Toon World.

Kaiba was fed up with Pegasus' games. He didn't know how Pegasus could see his cards, but he wasn't going to let the duel carry on like this. For that matter, he put his hand down and placed his cards in the discard pile. A gutsy move on his part. From here on out, his draws would be based upon faith. He had to believe in the Heart of the Cards now. He placed his hand on his deck and revealed the top card. His faith came through as the card was revealed as his second Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Pegasus decided to match Kaiba's Dragon with the one he took earlier. With the magic of Toon World, his Blue-Eyes White Dragon transformed into Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon. Kaiba had never been so outraged to see his own beloved card played in such a way. It was like it lost its pride as a legendary dragon. But to Pegasus, the Toon Dragon was a more supreme and cuddly version of the original. To display its power, the Toon Dragon attacked the Rude Kaiser.

Kaiba wanted to do away with the comical monstrosity. The match between the two Dragons would result in a draw, but not much was known about Toon World and all of its powers. Max knew some things about it, however. The card was too strong and was never put into circulation. That made her wonder if Pegasus had the only one ever made. Being the creator of Duel Monsters, Pegasus must have some cards like that at his disposal; making him one of the most crafty players.

Kaiba declared an attack, but his Dragon's White Lightning failed to attack its Toon counterpart. The Toon Dragon easily dodged the attack. Clearly, Toon cards couldn't be destroyed so easily. And to a cartoon expert like Pegasus, he knew very well that many different cartoon characters never let themselves fall victim to the hands of defeat. To power up his Toon Dragon, Pegasus played Shine Palace and raised its attack points by 500. It was about to defeat Kaiba's White Dragon, but Kaiba revealed his hidden card Negate Attack. He was able to save his Dragon, but he knew he wouldn't be able to make the same move again. So he trusted in his cards not for himself, but also for Mokuba. The card he drew was Shadow Spell, trapping the Toon Dragon in chains and lowering its attack points by 800. Now that it was trapped, it couldn't dodge Kaiba's attack.

To Pegasus, seeing a free toon shackled and destroyed was like attacking joy itself. But for Kaiba, he was serious when he said nothing would stop him from rescuing his brother even if it meant destroying his favorite and most trusted monster. Sensing a spark of love and devotion to the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Pegasus felt touched. But he had to remind Kaiba that the same devotion cannot be returned to the cardholder for some monsters are not so loyal. So he played Dragon Capture Jar to steal Kaiba's Blue-Eyes. After that, he played another card face down and summoned Dragon Piper.

Kaiba saw through his scheme. He knew that Pegasus was going to control Blue-Eyes as his own and turn it into another Toon. To avoid that from happening, the Dragon Piper had to be destroyed. So Kaiba summoned Swordstalker and declared an attack. Pegasus revealed his hidden card, Doppelganger, and used it to copy the effect of Kaiba's Crush Card. Now Dragon Piper was infected with the virus and it was too late for Kaiba to call off his attack. The virus began to spread throughout his entire deck. Every monster had more than 1500 attack points and there weren't many spells or traps. Kaiba went through his deck and saw that there was only one card that was unaffected by the virus and that was Monster Reborn. All he could do was use it to revive his Dark Clown. That was his last move. Knowing that, Kaiba whispered his apologies to his brother insisting that he did his best.

Unfortunately, his best just wasn't enough to help him throughout the match. Kaiba's Dark Clown was defeated by Pegasus' Bickuri Box and the duel was over. "There are no more cards you can play," Pegasus declared. "Therefore, you lose, Kaiba boy. But you've lost so much more than just this duel. You've lost the only chance you had at rescuing your baby brother. You let him down. But don't worry, my dear friend. I will spare you the agony of carrying on in this world without him." He reached into his pocket and revealed a blank card.

"What is that?" asked Kaiba.

"It is the final fate of your soul, Seto Kaiba," Pegasus answered as he began tapping into the power of his Millennium Eye. Its light illuminated the arena and Kaiba's voice was heard for a while, but he stopped yelling as the light died down. _Welcome to your new home; a place of solitude and seclusion. And while your soul is away, your body will be employed as my obedient servant._ "Ah, the brothers Kaiba; one in each hand," Pegasus said, looking at their soul cards. It was like Seto and Mokuba were worlds apart now that their souls were in separate cards.

Yugi and his friends couldn't believe what just happened as they saw Kaiba's lifeless body being carried away. "He was just like us," sobbed Yugi. "He was fighting for someone he cared about. Why, Pegasus? Who are you to toy with our friends? Our families?" Sensing Yugi's pain, Yami took over vowing to make Pegasus pay for the wrongs he committed.

Pegasus sensed Yugi tapping into the power of his Millennium Puzzle and promised to be looking forward to it. But Yugi would have to make it through the finals to earn the privilege to duel him. Nonetheless, Pegasus knew his five finalists would give him a wonderful show. They were the best of the best and he was looking forward to a wonderful performance.


	20. The Night Before

The Night Before

That evening at dinner, tomorrow's challenges were decided. Mai and Yugi would face off in the first match of the finals followed by Joey and Bandit Keith. Whoever would win the match between them would face Max in the next battle. But there was another small surprise. In order to participate in the final match, the duelists had to present one of two cards: Glory of the King's Right Hand or Glory of the King's Opposite Hand. The cards were contained in everyone's personal invitations. Joey didn't realize what a big deal this was. Since he wasn't personally invited to take part in the tournament, he didn't possess either of the two cards. Yugi knew just as much and decided to help his friend once again by giving him the card that would qualify him. With the two in possession of the different cards, their chances were more than good. By making it through the finals, it was likely they would win the prize money and the chance to duel Pegasus.

With that being settled, the competitors had a big day ahead and agreed to get some sleep. But sleep would not be possible for everybody. Tristan gathered Tea, Bakura, and Max for a personal discussion. No one knew for certain if Pegasus did have any special powers. For all they knew, he only won the duel because he was cheating. But the only way to confirm that was to look around the castle. It wouldn't be easy with so many guards on patrol, but they all knew how to be careful.

Their first stop was the dueling arena. Tristan and Bakura checked for hidden cameras, but couldn't find anything. Max and Tea didn't have much luck either. "Maybe Pegasus isn't a cheater," Tea wondered. "He could be good at guessing cards like a psychic or something." But Tristan didn't trust in psychic powers. The last time he did, he was promised he would have a girlfriend within a few weeks and remained without one.

Looking down at the arena, Max saw a light coming through the wall. Curious, she went to the arena and took a stance like she was dueling. She held her hand close to the light like she was holding a card. After that, Max climbed the wall and looked through the hole where the light was coming from. "I see a tower," she told her friends. "It has a window looking in this direction."

"Isn't that convenient?" Tristan asked. "Pegasus could have one of his goons standing in the tower looking through the window and using a telescope to see his opponent's hand."

Tea agreed. "Pegasus could also have a receiver under his hair."

Max climbed down and rejoined the others. "The only way we'll know for certain is if we go to the tower." Max actually wasn't suspicious about Pegasus and believed in his powers to see his opponent's cards. She just wanted the others to think she was.

"But what about all the guards," asked Bakura. But as worried as he was, everyone kept assuring him that everything would be all right. But Max agreed that they had to be careful. But she was very cunning and crafty and knew how to avoid getting caught. As they were passing through the hall, Max noticed some weapons hanging on the wall. One of them was a grappling hook and it gave her an idea.

When they came to the tower, Max tossed the hook to the top. She tugged on it a few times to make sure it was secure and then began climbing. Tea started climbing after her followed by Tristan and Bakura. Climbing up the tower seemed easy, but now they had to walk to the window. It would be difficult to keep to the wall without looking down or even slipping. Tea slipped and almost fell, but Tristan and Bakura caught her. "I can't believe your plan is to enter the tower from the outside."

"You wanted to avoid the guards," Max told her. "I don't see any goons up here." Finally, she found the window and opened it. After jumping inside, she helped the others to come in. But as they all looked around, once again, Tristan's suspicions were naught. There was no telescope in the tower. The room was dark, but it wasn't difficult to see anything.

"Who do you suppose this is?" Bakura wondered. Hearing that, the others turned their attention and followed his gaze. Looking up, they saw a portrait, but it was too dark to make it out. Suddenly, the lights came on. Everyone was freaked out at first, but they refocused their attention on the portrait. It contained the image of a woman with wavy blonde hair dressed in blue clothes.

"I've seen this picture before," said Tea. "In the dining hall."

"Based on the size of this portrait, she must be important to Pegasus," Max assumed. "But I haven't seen her at all since we've been here in the castle. Who could she be?"

But before anyone could start wondering, they turned around and saw Pegasus. "Isn't it past your bedtimes?" he scolded.

"How did you find us," asked Tea.

"A little birdie told me and saw you four climbing up here," he answered.

"Yeah, well, we're onto you," Tristan was saying. "You've had your goons looking at Kaiba's cards from up here and revealing them to you."

Pegasus shook his head. "You break into my private sanctuary and accuse me of wrongdoings? Absolutely no one is allowed here and I'm afraid you have all seen too much." Using the magic of his Millennium Eye, the room began to change and everyone began sinking to the ground.

When Tea, Tristan, Max, and Bakura all regained consciousness, they looked around and found themselves in what appeared to be an ancient Egyptian temple. Bakura didn't like it and wanted to find a way out. Tristan and Tea felt the same way, but Max went further inside. As the others followed her, they all heard chanting. The words became clear as they got further into the temple. "Realm of Shadows in this twilight hour, accept these souls and grant us power."

Finally, the team saw what looked like was a duel. There were many people dressed in hooded cloaks watching two robed men compete. The opponents faced each other and summoned two stone tablets from the ground. They also saw the same portrait in Pegasus' sanctuary. Who is this woman and why is Pegasus so obsessed with her? Also, what is the meaning of this whole game? Is it even a game?

The images on the tablets depicted Blue-Eyes White Dragon and Crawling Dragon. As the tablets faced each other, the one depicting Crawling Dragon's image shattered and the man who summoned it disappeared. Watching from the sidelines, everyone gasped. That caught the attention of the rest of the spectators. The second competitor removed his veil and lifted his hood. It was Pegasus.

"Where'd that robed guy go," Tristan asked him.

"The Shadow Realm," Pegasus answered. "This is how the magic of the Shadow Games were played centuries ago. Every soul I capture increases my power. But there's one power that eludes me: the power to control life over death. To obtain that power, I must acquire more Millennium Items and capture more souls."

"He's going to send all of us to the Shadow Realm!" gasped Tristan.

"It's not my fault," Pegasus was saying. "I can't let anyone who's discovered my plans go free." Then he turns his attention to Bakura and Max. "And my dear Bakura, your Millennium Ring will make a fine addition to my collection. As for you, Maxie, dear, I can sense tremendous power coming from you as well. You must be the princess who holds the all-powerful Millennium Star. Once I obtain that, my power will be limitless."

Max and Bakura carried frightened expressions for a second, but then the evil spirits of their treasures began to take over. Sensing darkness, Pegasus starts to become frightened. _Can this be? I sense a dark presence within each of their treasures!_

Reading his thoughts, Max tells him, _You may sense us now, but you won't remember anything from this night._ Then she and the evil spirit of the Millennium Ring use their powers to erase everyone's memories and transport them back into their rooms.

Tristan and Tea woke up and found themselves back in their beds, wondering if what happened was a dream. They also had a feeling something terrible was about to happen.

At the same time, Yugi could not sleep. He heard his grandfather's voice calling out to him. Yugi wandered the corridors of the castle, hearing his grandfather echo the same sentence. "Yugi, beware of Pegasus."

Finally, Yugi came to the castle courtyard. "Grandpa, where are you? I can't find you!" His grandfather's voice echoed once again. Yugi looked down and saw Solomon's soul card at his feet.

"Yugi," echoed Solomon's voice. "Pegasus wields shadow powers of incredible strength; much stronger than anyone could have imagined."

Yugi knelt down and picked up the card. "How can Pegasus' shadow magic still be growing in power?"

"Every soul he traps in the Shadow Realm increases his strength."

Frustrated, Yugi pounds his fist against the ground. "He's got to be stopped," he growled. Suddenly, Solomon's soul card slipped free from Yugi's hand and attached itself to an obelisk. Standing aside were two other obelisks holding the soul cards of the Kaiba brothers. It was terrible for Yugi to see them like this. The voices of the Kaiba brothers rang through Yugi's head, begging him to save them. They also echoed a warning, telling Yugi that Pegasus was after him. "Why is Pegasus after me?" Yugi wondered.

"Pegasus unlocks tremendous shadow magic with his single Millennium Item," his grandfather told him. "How much power do you think he will wield if he has your Millennium Puzzle?"

Hearing that, Yugi knew right away that Pegasus would have limitless power. More than that, it could bring about destruction. But Yugi was still unsure of what to do to stop him. When he asked his grandfather what he should do, his answer was to learn to control the power of his own Millennium Item just as Pegasus learned to control his. But how, Yugi must learn on his own.

Flames surrounded the obelisks and Solomon and the Kaiba brothers called out to Yugi, telling him to believe in his power just as they believe in him.

As the light of the flames increased, Yugi found himself back in his bed.


	21. Duel Identity

Duel Identity

The night was over and the sun was rising. Yugi knew that what happened last night was no dream and that his grandfather was trying to communicate with him from the Shadow Realm. Yugi wasn't sure if he was doing the right thing in deciding to duel again, but he knew he had to in order to rescue his grandfather. At the same time, he didn't know if he could - rather, should - trust the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle. He still couldn't even forgive him for nearly killing Kaiba. Nonetheless, Yugi placed the Millennium Puzzle over his neck.

His four friends came to his room and greeted him. "Aren't you ready yet?" Emily asked him. "You're going to be late."

"And if you're late, they'll disqualify you," added Joey.

Yugi nods in answer. Feeling the spirit of the Puzzle beginning to take over, he suppresses it as best as he can so he can be in control. If it took everything in his power to hold the spirit back, he would have to use this much power to keep the spirit in check. Now everyone was ready.

"We'll have to cheer from the sidelines," said Tristan. "Only duelists are allowed on the main deck."

"Well, this is it," said Tea. "I'm so proud of you guys." After wishing Joey and Yami good luck, Emily, Tea, Tristan, and Bakura head to the upper deck and Joey and Yami proceed to the great hall.

Mai, Max, and Keith were already in the hall waiting for the rest of the competition. Now that all five finalists were present, the preliminaries could be set into order. Pegasus once again congratulated his competitors for coming this far and hoped for them to give it their best. He also reminded them that the true prize of the tournament was what the competitor could win if he or she was crowned the champion: whatever his or her heart desires.

Now that Pegasus' statements had been concluded, the first match of the finals could begin. Mai and Yugi presented their qualification cards and proceeded to the arena. Mai presented Glory of the King's Right Hand and Yugi presented the opposite hand. Before actually starting the duel, Mai began looking back on her adventure. To her, everyone was an opponent and friendship was a weakness. That was what she always thought until she met Yugi and his friends. But she didn't come to value friendship or kindness until Yugi went out of his way to help her get back her star chips. Mai was indebted to Yugi, but just because she promised him a match of honor didn't mean she would go easy on him. But she wouldn't put on any more psychic acts. But her opening move was the same as usual. She played Harpy Lady in attack mode and a card face down.

As for Yugi, he also promised to give it his all in this match, but he didn't want any interference from the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle. He figured he could get an easy victory if he went through the match as quickly as possible. He summoned Gaia the Fierce Knight and declared an attack. His attack revealed Mai's hidden card Mirror Wall, cutting his Fierce Knight's attack points in half. Harpy Lady attacked and dealt 150 points of damage to Yugi. Yugi tried again and played a stronger monster, Summoned Skull. He also placed a card face down to protect himself. But it didn't matter how strong his monster was. Yugi failed to realize that Mirror Wall was a continuous trap and any monster that tried to attack would have their strength cut in half. Mai played Cyber Shield to raise her Harpy's attack points, but didn't declare an attack. Instead, she played Harpy's Feather Duster to remove Yugi's hidden card, Spellbinding Circle. To consolidate his defenses, Yugi switched his Summoned Skull to defense mode and played Feral Imp in defense mode. For Mai's next move, she summoned a new monster called Harpy's Pet Dragon and used it to attack Yugi's Summoned Skull and have her Harpy attack the Imp.

It was plain to see that Yugi was not thinking strategically. Everyone from the sidelines wasn't sure why Yugi wasn't thinking through his moves like he always was. Mai wondered if it was because he was still shaken by his duel with Kaiba. But Pegasus could sense that Yugi was afraid to tap into the full power of his Millennium Puzzle. And he was, only because he was afraid the spirit within would try to hurt Mai like he almost did Kaiba. Yami was urging Yugi to let him help, but Yugi refused to take that risk.

As the duel progressed, Mai continued to try to help Yugi out by reflecting on her days in the tournament and all that she had learned. Joey thought Mai was trying to psyche him out, but Tea and Emily could see that she was trying to help him. Mai remembered what she told Joey when he asked her why she dueled. She admitted her answer was frivolous, but still honest. So she asked Yugi the same thing and wanted to know if his reasons were selfless. Even though Yugi answered with honesty that he was dueling for his grandfather, Mai continued to press on into the matter, telling Yugi to fight his inner battles for the real truth.

Yugi was considering all that Mai was telling him, but it wasn't changing his dueling methods. He still made his moves without thinking. He summoned Dark Magician in defense mode and played another trap to protect him. But Mai didn't think it was a clever enough move. She still didn't think Yugi was putting up a real fight either. To draw Dark Magician into attack mode, she played Shadow of Eyes. Forced to fight, Dark Magician attacked his own reflection in the Mirror Wall and was drained of his attack points. Before attacking, Mai played Harpy's Feather Duster once again and swept away Yugi's Mirror Force. After that, Harpy's Pet Dragon incinerated the Dark Magician.

The spirit's voice rang through Yugi's head once again. _"Yugi, let me help you,"_ he begged. _"If you continue to hold me back, everyone loses!"_

Yugi began to wander the confinements of his mind, looking back on the duel with Kaiba and reflecting his feelings. Sensing his thoughts, Yami confessed, "I never meant any harm. I only wanted to help. And I vow never to harm another person again."

Listening to the spirit's words, Yugi could sense that he truly was sorry and really did want to help. At the same time, Yami promised he would continue to help. Yugi already said he would do anything to rescue his grandfather. So he agreed to give the spirit another chance under the condition that they would duel together under his own terms and not hurt anyone. Settling their agreement, Yugi and Yami get back in the match and duel as one.

For his next move, Yami played a magic card called Brain Control and used it on Harpy's Pet Dragon. Mai wasn't too worried. As the ever faithful servant of Harpy Lady, her Pet Dragon would not dare attack even when brainwashed. But Yami had no intention of attacking Harpy Lady. Instead, he was going to use it to destroy the Mirror Wall. To complete his move, he played a card face down and played Catapult Turtle. Mai remembered that the Turtle's Catapult Launch had the power to destroy walls and fortresses. Since Mai's Dragon was in attack mode, the damage came out of her life points, leaving her with 850 life points remaining.

With the most powerful monster in her deck gone, Mai could see that the tide of the duel was turning. This was surprising to her, and at the same time, she was getting her wish of Yami facing her like the duelist she remembered. But she had to be careful from here on out. She remembered that Yami still had his face down card. But instead of declaring an attack, she played Elegant Egotist to turn her one Harpy into three.

Had Mai declared an attack, she would have won the duel. Yami even confessed it to her as he revealed his Monster Recovery card. The card allowed him to call back his monsters, reshuffle his deck, and draw a new hand. But there wasn't a card in his hand that could take down Mai's Harpies. If he couldn't attack, he could at least defend. The monster he played in defense mode was Mystical Elf. Being a feminine monster, she was immune to the power of Mai's Shadow of Eyes. Seeing that, Mai played Monster Reborn to revive Harpy's Pet Dragon. And since the Pet Dragon receives 300 attack points for every Harpy Lady in play and since Mai had three, the Pet Dragon had 2900 attack points. To destroy his last defense, that Harpies combined their powers and sent Mystical Elf to the Graveyard.

Everything was riding on this next draw. Yugi had to believe not just in himself, but in the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle. So many people were counting on the both of them: Joey and Serenity, Seto and Mokuba, even Solomon. And his faith came through as he played Swords of Revealing Light. Yami wasn't sure if three turns would be enough. He already lost his best cards throughout the beginning of the duel, but Yami remembered one more hidden deep within their deck. Still, three turns may not be enough. For now, they had to steady themselves. To complete his move, Yami summoned Kuriboh.

Mai couldn't take Kuriboh seriously as a part of Yami's strategy to go down in a blaze of victory, but there wasn't anything she could do as long as Yami's Swords were in play. So she drew her card and told Yami it was his move. The card Yami drew from his deck was Polymerization, not the one he needed to complete his strategy. Instead, he played Monster Reborn to resurrect Gaia the Fierce Knight. Now he had the right monsters on the field. He just needed the right spell. To Mai, Yami was just prolonging his defeat, but she didn't tell him so as she drew her card. Yami drew his next card, Winged Dragon and Guardian of the Fortress. It still wasn't the right card. Mai drew her last card, ending her turn and the effects of Yami's Swords of Revealing Light.

This was Yami's last chance. If he didn't draw the right card, everyone would lose everything and Pegasus would gain everything. But it was not Yugi who was in doubt, but the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle. _No, I don't think I can do this,_ he thought. In front of him was no longer the dueling deck, but a door that carried the image of the back of a card. _Yugi was right. There's too much riding on the draw of this next card. I shouldn't be risking Yugi's friends and family this way. It's too dangerous. I can't._

 _We can do it_ , voiced Yugi's thoughts, _together_. And he placed his hand over his partner's. _I'm with you and we're not alone_. Then Joey, Tristan, Tea, and Emily appeared around them. _We have the support of all of my friends just like I've had from the beginning._

Seeing everyone smile in encouragement, Yami was no longer in doubt. _With all of you at my side, I was foolish to lose faith._

Yugi nods. _It's like you said, we have to trust in each other and in the Heart of the Cards. When we put our hearts in the game, there's nothing we can't do!_ Together, they opened the door revealing the path to their victory and releasing a great power. Back in the match, Yugi and his partner got the card they needed to win the duel: Black Luster Ritual. Placing the card on the table, its powers were invoked, sacrificing Yami's monsters, combining their energies together, intertwining the forces of light and darkness, and opening the gates of chaos to bring forth the Black Luster Soldier. With a mighty swing of his Chaos Blade, the Soldier slew Harpy's Pet Dragon and dealt 100 points of damage to Mai.

 _The duel is over_ , Pegasus wondered, witnessing the awesome power of Yami's monster. _Mai's spirit is broken._

Looking down at her hand, Mai saw the last Harpy Lady card she had. If she had waited one more turn, she could have played it to strengthen her Dragon once more and win the duel. But now she had nothing left. To concede the match, Mai placed her hand over her deck. Before she left the arena, Yami called to her. Mai stopped and gave him her attention. "Thank you," he was telling her. "You reminded me that a duelist can learn more from defeat than victory and you were correct. But you, Mai, you taught me a lot today. You helped me to confront my own fears and weakness. If you hadn't, I would never have won."

Mai appreciated what Yami was telling her, but also admitted there was still much for her to learn not just in Duel Monsters, but in life. But she had to remember that no duelist can go on without learning. At the same time, defeat doesn't have to be forever. For that matter, Mai promised to face Yami in the arena again someday. Looking forward to when that day would come, Yami and Mai winked at each other and held their thumbs up.


	22. Keith's Machinations

Keith's Machinations

With the first match of the finals at an end, it was time for Joey to get ready for his duel. Thinking about it scared him a little bit. For one, his opponent was the intercontinental champion. Other than that, if Joey won, his next opponent would be Max. And if he beat her, then it would be him against Yugi. Joey tried to calm down and take it one step at a time. For now, he just had to focus on his duel with Keith.

Joey went to the entry and searched his coat pocket for his tournament entry card, but was shocked to find that it was empty. Joey knew that without the card, he would be disqualified. He was given permission to retrace his steps, but he was also warned that if he didn't make it back to the arena by the designated time, he would be disqualified. He had five minutes. As quick as he could, he went back to his room and searched every nook and cranny.

When Joey saw that the card wasn't in his room, he went back out into the hall cursing and groaning to himself _. I can't believe it. After lasting on this island all this time, after beating duelists with twice my experience, after getting past all of Pegasus' traps, I'm gonna get disqualified from the tournament because of this? For one lousy card!?_ His frustration quickly turned into sorrow as he got down on his knees and started sniveling. _Sorry, Sis. I came close,_ he sobbed, accepting that his sister will be blind forever.

Just then, Mai's voice rang through. "Get up off the floor, Joey," she demanded with her arms on her hips. "And quit all your crying already. You like a big baby."

"Who's crying? I got something in my eye," Joey lied, sniffling and rubbing his eyes with his sleeve. "Stupid thing won't come out," he whined, obviously not wanting Mai to see him this way.

Mai held out a folded handkerchief. "Here. Just don't go blowing your nose in it." As Joey took it, Mai turned away and said to him, "You know, when I think I've got you figured out, you surprise me." To tell him what she means, she explains, "Tea and Emily told me about your little sister; how you're dueling to win the prize money so she can have that operation. It sounded like a bad soap opera, to be honest, but then, who doesn't love a bad soap opera?"

Feeling something hard inside the handkerchief, Joey opened it, revealing Mai's tournament entry card. He immediately stood up. "Wait, Mai-," he started, but he was cut off.

"Take it," she insisted. "I don't need it anymore."

Finally, he knew what he wanted to say to her. But before he could thank her, he had to ask, "So does this mean we're friends now?"

Instead of answering him, she asked, "Don't you have a duel to run off to?" Remembering the time, Joey starts to make a mad dash back to the arena. Before he does, Mai wishes him luck by saying, "One more thing: take him down." Joey nods and starts running. "Dork," Mai whispers, watching him run off. "Of course we're friends." That actually took a lot for Mai to admit; almost as much as admitting how Joey had come a long way since she first dueled him.

Joey made it back to the arena and presented the card before the time elapsed. The duel would proceed as planned. Keith was actually looking forward to dueling Joey. From the sidelines, Yugi and the others warned Joey not to get cocky. None of his opponents always played fair and Keith would be no different.

Keith made the first move by playing a card face down in defense mode. Joey took his friends' advice and agreed it would be wise for him to stay on his toes. He also played a monster in defense mode. Keith revealed his hidden monster Pendulum Machine and switched it into attack mode. Joey and his friends had never seen machine monsters in action before and wondered what Keith was planning. Keith's Pendulum Machine attacked and destroyed Joey's hidden monster Battle Warrior. It wasn't all that bad. Now that Keith's monster had been exposed, Joey could find a weakness in his cards.

Joey summoned Giltia the Knight, a warrior with an attack of 1850. Though it was stronger than Pendulum Machine, his attack had no effect. It turned out machine-based monsters had some kind of resistance to magical attacks. Keith summoned another machine called Launcher Spider and used it to attack Giltia. Joey's life points had dropped to 1650. Now that Joey knew what he was up against, he had to find a glitch in Keith's deck. From what he knew so far, machine-based monsters had a strong offense and used that for head-on attacks. It wasn't much help to him, but if he kept dueling, he could find their weakness. For now, he had to protect himself. So he played a card face down and a monster in defense mode.

Keith decided to lure Joey into attack by seemingly dropping a card on the table by accident. Keith recovered the card and placed it on the table in face down defense position and another card face down. Joey saw what the hologram almost projected. It wasn't a machine, but a shadow monster called Zoa. Joey knew that Zoa was vulnerable to fire, so he summoned Flame Swordsman. Everyone from the sidelines saw Zoa and knew something was up. Why would Keith play a monster whose attack is greater than its defense in defense mode?

That was when Keith revealed his hidden trap Metalmorph, transforming Zoa into Metalzoa. Now that it was a machine, the Swordsman's magic would backfire and destroy itself, causing Joey to lose 500 life points. But Keith wasn't finished. Next, he played Stop Defense to reveal Joey's hidden monster and switch it into attack mode. It was Axe Raider and it was too weak to stand against Keith's machines. Keith declared an attack, but as Metalzoa charged, it fell into a pit. Joey revealed his hidden trap, Chasm of Spikes, destroying Metalzoa and draining a quarter of its attack points from Keith's life points. Now Keith was down to 1250 life points. Still a hundred points more than Joey, but at least the competition was starting to get even. Joey may have even found the glitch in Keith's machines. Since it seemed to be working so well, he played another card face down and warned Keith it was a trap. To complete his move, he switched Axe Raider back into defense mode and summoned Garoozis in attack mode, using it to attack and destroy Pendulum Machine.

But Keith assumed Joey was bluffing and immediately declared an attack. Launcher Spider attacked Garoozis, but fell victim to Joey's face down card. It turned out he wasn't bluffing when he said his hidden card was a trap. It was Kunai with Chain, raising Garoozis' attack points by 500 and destroying Launcher Spider. Keith had 1100 life points remaining now. He was about to lose it, but reminded himself that there would come a time when Joey would run out of traps to play. Besides, he still had mightier machines waiting in the midst. To Keith, Joey was no more than a minor setback and was confident he would be the one facing Max in the next duel. But in Joey's point of view, even if he lost to Keith, Max would beat him with ease because greed can only take someone so far.

Keith placed a card face down and summoned Barrel Dragon. The mechanical dragon could attack not once, but thrice, removing three of Joey's monsters from the field and dealing serious damage to his life points. Garoozis and Axe Raider were gone and Joey's life points had dropped to 850. Joey wasn't intimidated by the machine's might, however. Since he had no traps left to play, a new tactic was in order. He gave his luck a spin by playing Baby Dragon and Time Wizard together. But this move had to be about faith more than luck based on the stakes. But Joey believed in his cards and the outcome of the Time Roulette was in his favor. Barrel Dragon rusted away and Baby Dragon evolved into Thousand Dragon.

Although Thousand Dragon defeated Barrel Dragon, Keith's monster wouldn't be gone so easily. Keith activated his hidden trap card Time Machine, bringing Barrel Dragon back to the field as it was one turn ago. Barrel Dragon attacked Thousand Dragon with its Proton Blast and dealt 200 points of damage to Joey. With one of his best monsters gone, all he could do now was defend his life points. Keith built up his forces by summoning Slot Machine, but instead attacked with Barrel Dragon. It was Joey's move again. He placed a card face down and summoned Red-Eyes Black Dragon in attack mode. Keith's Barrel Dragon launched its Proton Blast once again, but not before Joey revealed his hidden card Copycat and used it to copy the effects of Metalmorph. Now Red-Eyes Black Dragon was Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon and 400 attack points stronger. Its Flash Flare Blast reduced Barrel Dragon to debris and dropped Keith's life points to 900. This seemed like the break Joey needed; to use the power of machines against Keith.

But Barrel Dragon was just a simple circuit compared to Slot Machine and Keith was about to prove it. First he played a card face down and switched his monster to defense mode. Joey was confused, but didn't care. He played a card face down and declared an attack from his Dragon. It turned out the card Keith kept hidden was a magic card called Seven Completed. Like a real slot machine, one of the slots spun and revealed a seven. Not only that, but Slot Machine's defense points had been raised to 3000; causing Joey to lose life 200 points. What was worse was that Keith had two more Seven Completed cards he could use to his advantage. Of course, that didn't mean he would play fair and wait to draw them. Not from his deck, anyway. He placed his hand on his deck to make it look like he was drawing a card from his deck when really Keith was pulling it from his wristband. He used Seven Completed's effect to raise Slot Machine's attack points to 2700. It was still 100 points weaker than Red-Eyes, but Keith had another surprise in store. He summoned a small machine called Blast Sphere and attached it to Joey's Metal Dragon. It was set to detonate at the end of Keith's turn and blast 2900 points of damage to the Metal Dragon.

Blast Sphere did detonate, but it didn't destroy Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon. Just in time, Joey played Dragon Nails to raise its attack points by 600. Keith was down to his last 400 life points, but he was ready to put his final effort in play. He played the last Seven Completed card hidden from his wristband and powered up Slot Machine's attack points once again. Now both monsters on the field had 3400 attack points and both players had 400 life points. Anything could happen in the next turn. But instead, all Joey could do was play a card face down and end his turn.

Keith was ready to end the match. He played a magic card called the Pillager, allowing him to look at his opponent's hand and use one of his cards as his own. Joey revealed the cards in his hand. There was Lava Battleguard, Stone Ogre Grotto, Shield and Sword, and Armored Lizard. The one that caught Keith's attention was the Shield and Sword magic card. He used the card and swapped the attack and defense points of both monsters, making Slot Machine the strongest monster on the field. Slot Machine launched its Plasma Laser Cannon, but not before Joey activated his hidden card. To Keith's surprise, it was Graverobber. He thought he knew all of the cards in Joey's deck after watching his duel with Bonz, but he was wrong.

Joey used Graverobber to control a card Keith had used in the duel as if it were his own. The card he chose was Time Machine, bringing Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon back to the field with its attack strength of 3400. The Dragon's Flash Flare Blast incinerated Slot Machine and dropped Keith's life points down to zero. Everyone cheered from the upper balcony for Joey's victory. Joey whispered his gratitude for Mai as he held Glory of the King's Right Hand in her handkerchief.

But Keith would not accept defeat so easily. "This duel doesn't count!" he roared. "The dweeb should be disqualified. That tournament entry card doesn't belong to him."

Keeping his cool, Joey admits that he's right. "My card was missing, so Mai gave me hers. But tell me, Keith, how could you know this wasn't my card?"

Everyone was waiting for an answer, but Keith remained silent. The answer was actually quite obvious to some. "There's really no explanation," said Max. "Clearly Keith stole your card from your coat pocket. That was why he was so certain you would be disqualified."

Outraged, everyone began spouting jeers at Keith saying he should be disqualified. Pegasus agreed, but not because of Keith's misdeeds outside the arena. Carefully observing the duel, he saw Keith pull his Seven Completed cards from his wristbands. With all of Keith's low tactics being established, Pegasus ordered his men to remove him from the arena and banish him from the castle grounds. Keith thrashed and hollered about as he was being dragged away. After breaking free from their grips, he ran back to the arena and jumped to Pegasus.

Pegasus wasn't frightened. "You truly are a stubborn one, aren't you?"

Keith was stubborn and wouldn't leave until he got what he wanted. "You ain't talkin' your way out of this one. Now hand over the prize money or else."

"Oh, certainly, Keith. I'll do whatever you say," Pegasus was saying. "Just give my body a moment to recover from the complete paralysis that your terrifying demands have shocked me into."

"Okay, wise guy," growled Keith. "I'll give you 'til three."

Pegasus agreed and quickly counted. When he came to three, he stepped on a switch opening a trap door where Keith was standing. Everyone watched in shock at what just happened. Finally, as the sound of Keith's screaming faded, they began to proceed with the rest of the finals.


	23. Best of Friends, Best of Duelists

Best of Friends, Best of Duelists

After a ten minute recess, the match between Joey and Max would be set underway. They approached the arena and presented their tournament entry verification cards. The card Max chose was, to everyone's surprise, Glory of the King's Opposite Hand. She wasn't interested in the prize money. Rather she was after something much greater. Using the power of the cobalt crystal hanging from her neck, Max gazed inside Joey's mind and saw his ideals. But knowing Joey's reasons for needing to win wouldn't change anything. Max understood, but she wasn't about to go easy on him, let alone give the duel away.

The duel actually progressed quickly. Max's deck was constructed in almost every way Mai's was, giving Joey a bit of an advantage over her. But he didn't defeat Max the same way he beat Mai. In fact, Max's deck had a bit more brute force and was also built up with dragons. But as supreme as Max's deck and battling tactics appeared to be, Joey overcame her and was about to face Yugi in the next round.

Tensions were beginning to mount for Yugi and Joey. Every trial they faced together, every opponent they overcame, every struggle they endured since they took part in the tournament has prepared them for this last test. A lot was on the line for Yugi and Joey, but this match would determine who was worthy of battling Pegasus in the next round. For that matter, they needed to face each other to see how far they had come and who would be ready for the real battle.

But Tea, Tristan, Emily, and Bakura didn't consider that issue at all. The thought of two best friends being forced to fight against each other after all they had gone through together tormented them. "Who would have guessed that out of all the duelists who started in this tournament, two best friends would wind up in the final match?" asked Bakura.

The thought of it was making Tea upset. "Wouldn't be easier if they just flipped a coin or something? That way, we could get our match with Pegasus now?"

Emily was just as upset, but she had to remind Tea that everyone needed to be realistic. "I wish it could be simple and easy for all of us as well. But it just doesn't work that way."

"Well, why not?" Tea asked. "I mean, Yugi and Joey are like brothers! They shouldn't be forced to fight like this."

Emily was starting to get emotional as well. She didn't like it either. She would also hate to imagine herself and Tea in Yugi and Joey's place; best friends having to fight for so much on the line. Sharing her thoughts and feelings with Tea, Emily moves closer to her best friend and grasps her hand.

Joey and Yugi understood their friends and considered their feelings, but they promised each other to play their best and stay best friends win or lose. They also considered the fact that they needed this duel to determine who would be worthy of facing Pegasus.

Both competitors took their positions in the arena. Joey had something he needed to say first. "Yugi, thank you," he was telling his best friend, unaware that he was actulally talking to Yami. "I only made it to the final round of the biggest Duel Monster's tournament because of you. You looked out for me and helped me all the way."

But Yami disagreed. "You earned your place here."

Joey appreciated what Yami told him. To show it, he promised, "No matter what happens, you're my friend and you always will be. But don't think I'm gonna go easy on you or that I expect you to go easy on me."

No, Yami was going to give it his all in this duel and he wanted Joey to do the same. What they were telling each other was inspiring, even for Max. Listening to Joey's words, she could sense that he truly was a warrior of friendship; one who knew how to put others before himself no matter what the situation. As for the others, they were happy to know that Yami and Joey would not turn into enemies. A lot is at stake for the both of them, but even so, they refuse to let that come between their friendship.

Yami makes the first move by playing Celtic Guardian in attack mode. Not a bad play, but he had to be careful. He remembered that Joey built up his deck with a lot of strong warriors and fighter-type cards. Joey played Giltia the Knight in attack mode and attacked Yami's Guardian, dealing 450 points of damage to his life points. When Joey ended his turn, Yami carefully observed the arena. True, it had only been the first turn of the match, but Joey would know never to leave a powerful warrior like Giltia unprotected on the field. An amateur mistake like that could cost him the duel.

Thinking about it, he had to talk to Joey about the situation. "Time out, Joey," he declared.

"Time out?" Joey echoed, wondering what was up.

"Ever since we arrived on this island, I've done my best to teach you everything I know," Yami was telling him. "Now you must put everything you've learned into play and think strategically. You can't afford to make any mistakes."

Joey was confused. "But it's only been one turn. Did I do something wrong already?" Joey reflected on some of his past duels and remembered that some of his opening moves did result as a mistake, but he didn't think this was like one of those times.

To clarify what he means, Yami explains, "In a duel of this magnitude, every move you make is crucial. One false card can cost you everything you've worked so hard for."

"So every move I make has to be right on the dot," Joey replied, trying to make sense of what his friend was telling him.

Yami nods. "Because no one lets a mistake go unpunished. Not Pegasus and not me."

"Okay, time in," Joey declared, taking Yami's advice. "Now give me your best shot!"

Yami had every intention of doing so. He played Gaia the Fierce Knight and removed Giltia from the field, evening the score in the game. It was Joey's turn again and he remembered Yami's advice about thinking through his moves. So he played Armored Lizard in defense mode. Yami was confused and wondered why Joey would play that card. Joey wouldn't forget what they just discussed one minute ago either. As unsure as Yami was about Joey's move, he had to take his turn. So he played Summoned Skull and attacked Armored Lizard.

That was actually one of the monsters Joey wanted Yami to play. It was time for him to begin his strategy. To start, he summoned Flame Swordsman to the field in attack mode. After that, he played Shield and Sword, swapping their attack and defense points and making the Swordsman stronger. Yami was surprised, but also impressed. Not only did Joey take out 400 of his life points, but he also beat one of the strongest monsters in his deck. But Yami was also capable of making powerful moves. To prove it, he summoned Curse of Dragon and merged it with his Fierce Knight to form Gaia the Dragon Champion. Gaia charged right for Joey's Flame Swordsman and lowered his life points to 750.

Little did Yami realize that this was all part of Joey's strategy. He had seen fusion in effect many times before, but never used it on his own monsters and now he was about to. He had the right cards in his hand and was ready to complete his strategy. First he summoned Red-Eyes Black Dragon in attack mode. After that, he played Graverobber and used it to play Summoned Skull from the graveyard. Finally, he played Copycat and used it as Polymerization, merging his monsters together to form Black Skull Dragon.

This was outstanding even for Pegasus as two fusion monsters were about to go head-to-head against each other. Everyone standing on the upper balcony was just as thrilled. The way things were going, it was truly anyone's game. Joey really had been putting everything he learned from his past duels in this brilliant strategy. He even felt proud of himself for his efforts as his Black Skull Dragon defeated Yami's Dragon Champion with its Molten Fireball and lowered his life points to 550. Yami was just as proud, but he said nothing. He wanted Joey to enjoy his triumph while it would last. The duel was far from over and it was about to get tough from here on out for both duelists.

Yami and Joey had watched each other duel and therefore carefully observed each other's decks. There were a lot of strategies they were familiar with. It wasn't just about thinking their own moves carefully anymore, but also about thinking like their opponent. Simply, they had to be prepared for anything.

To continue the duel, Yami summoned Dark Magician. That came as no surprise to Joey. His best friend always counts on his favorite monster whenever he's in a tight spot. But Dark Magician was 700 attack points weaker than Black Skull Dragon. The first rule Joey remembered about the game was that the monster with the lowest attack points always loses. But he had to remember that attack points aren't everything and that a duelist can enhance the powers of his monsters with spells and traps. And that lesson came back to him as Yami played Magical Hats to conceal his favorite monster. Now Joey's attacks would require luck more than skill. But the odds were certainly against him. He attacked one Hat, but it was empty. To complete his move, Joey summoned Garoozis in attack mode.

Yami had to make his move carefully. For Joey to summon a weak monster like Garoozis, he must be luring Dark Magician into attacking. The Dark Magician could leave the safety of the Magical Hats and attack, but at the same time, Joey could have his Black Skull Dragon attack and destroy the Magician. It would have been a convincing bluff, but Yami knew this trick too well. He instead played a hidden card under the protection of the Magical Hats. Joey was disappointed that his bluff didn't work. Yami was just too smart. It was time for him to start thinking like his opponent now. Joey remembered that Yami played a hidden card and probably wanted him to suspect it was a trap. But he kept altering his thoughts on the matter, which was giving him a headache and causing him to fire away with his attack. The Hat Joey attacked was empty, which was both bad and good. Bad because he didn't attack the Dark Magician and good because he didn't get caught in a trap.

Yami ended his turn without playing a card. This was Joey's last chance to strike. Sadly, the Hat he attacked revealed the Spellbinding Circle, ensnaring Joey's Dragon and weakening it by 700 points. Joey saw that both of his monsters were vulnerable to attack now, but could only switch Garoozis to defense mode. Yami saw that his Magician and Joey's Dragon were evenly matched, but that wouldn't last. Dark Magician emerged from the last remaining Magical Hat and Yami equipped him with the Book of Secret Arts, raising his attack points by 300.

Black Skull Dragon was beaten, but it wasn't the only strong monster Joey always came to rely on. He still had a few more plans in store. It was time for him to play his trump cards. He played Baby Dragon in attack mode and one card face down on the field. Yami assumed that the hidden card was Time Wizard and knew that Joey always played it with his Baby Dragon. He declared an attack on the Dragon to stop his strategy, but to his surprise, Joey's hidden card was Kunai with Chain. Garoozis ensnared Dark Magician in the Chain and stopped his attack.

The duel was coming to a close, but Joey had one last thing to say. "Yugi, I want you to know it's been a real honor dueling you."

Yami returned the gesture. "Likewise."

"I know neither of us want to lose, but if I do, I'm glad it's to you. Now let's finish this." This final move would decide the outcome of the whole duel. The card Joey drew was Time Wizard and he immediately played it. Everything was riding on this last spin, but really, anyone could benefit no matter what the result. Finally, the arrow landed on a time machine, causing a millennium to pass and aging both monsters. Baby Dragon had aged into Thousand Dragon while Dark Magician had aged into an old wizard. Joey declared an attack, but Yami stopped the attack by playing Makiu, the Magical Mist. Joey was confused. How could Yami play a card when it wasn't even his turn?

It turned out that the magic of Joey's Time Wizard did more good than harm to Yami's Dark Magician. He may have aged, but he had grown stronger and gained great wisdom over the years, transforming him into the Dark Sage. The Dark Sage's special ability allowed Yami to play one magic during each player's turn.

It was Yami's turn again. Tears filled his eyes as he drew the card from his deck. "You've fought a valiant duel, my friend, and this is the hardest move I've ever had to make," he sobbed, releasing the tears in his eyes and letting them run down his cheeks. "But this ends now!"

Joey let out a startled gasp, also finding himself about ready to shed tears. The card Yami played was Monster Reborn and he used it to resurrect Joey's Black Skull Dragon. Joey let the tears fall and land on his hand. "It's all over," he shuddered. But as sad as he was for himself, he remembered the promise he made to Yami. He was glad he would be losing to his friend. "Yugi, go for it," he called. "It's cool!"

Yami accepted Joey's words and declared his attack. Black Skull Dragon's Molten Fireball melted Thousand Dragon away.

It was hard for all of their friends to take in. At the same time, it was one of the best duels they ever witnessed and they had learned so much from it. Still, they were glad it was finally over; especially Tea and Emily, who were still hugging each other and crying of happiness for their friends. Max noticed her jewel was faintly glowing in reaction to their emotions. Even Pegasus felt a strange sensation coming from the girls and wondered if one of them was who he was looking for. But he didn't have time to consider the matter. He just told the girls to save their tears for the final confrontation.

After the match, Joey tried to give his tournament entry card to Yugi so he could win the prize money. But Yugi kindly refused. He wasn't in the competition for the wealth, but for the freedom of his grandfather and the Kaiba brothers. It was Joey who needed the money for Serenity's operation. At first, Joey thought losing the duel to Yugi meant losing his only chance of helping his sister, but Yugi helped him to redeem his hope. If Yugi could defeat Pegasus, then he would allow Joey to take the prize money. That was a promise Yugi was not willing to break. The next promise he had to fulfill was to defeat Pegasus.


	24. Match of the Millennium

Match of the Millennium

Yugi took his time preparing his deck and remembering all that his grandfather had taught him. It was true that Solomon's soul was in the Shadow Realm, but his heart was in the cards. Yugi even remembered that all the lessons he learned from his grandfather were valuable not just in Duel Monsters, but in life. That piece of wisdom was more valuable than any card in the game. A family that runs a game shop would know just as much. After constructing his deck and being wished well from his friends, Yugi let Yami take over and proceeded to the arena.

Pegasus took his position on the other side of the arena. "So, Yugi boy, you've turned out to be quite the young duelist battling your way past all the other challengers and winning your way into the castle just to duel me."

"Pegasus," Yami called out, "before we begin this duel, I want you to keep your promise that if I win, you'll restore my grandfather's soul."

"But of course," promised the creator of Duel Monsters. "I'm a man of my word."

"And that's not all. You must also free the souls of Seto and Mokuba Kaiba."

"What a strange demand," Pegasus wondered with his usual mockingly expression. "I thought you hated Kaiba as much as you hate me."

Neither Yami nor Yugi had bitter feelings towards Kaiba even after all that he had put them through. It was really about the promise they made to Mokuba when they met up with him. Sensing Yugi's thoughts and watching the scene of his memory, Pegasus understood. "If it will put your mind at ease, I shall agree to your terms," he finally responded. "If you win your battle with me, I shall free these three from their lonesome prison of souls."

The others still didn't trust Pegasus. To them, his promise was just a bunch of empty words. Max could see clearly that he planned to duel Yugi in the final round. It also came as no surprise to her that he was after his Millennium Puzzle. Tea, Tristan, and Emily kept reminding everybody to keep the faith and let Yugi know that he has their support. Still, as long as Pegasus holds all the cards- metaphorically and literally, Yugi and his friends are at his mercy. Thinking about that matter gave Tristan an idea to seek out the Kaiba brothers. Even if their souls were captured, their vessels still had to be somewhere inside the castle. Tristan went to look around for them while everyone else went to the upper gallery.

Even though the finals had ended, Yami still had to present the card that would permit him the right to duel Pegasus. As per the tournament rules, he presented Glory of the King's Opposite Hand. The benefit of it being a blank card meant that there were no limits to the request of his prize. If he wanted, he could rule Duelist Kingdom, take over Industrial Illusions, or even gain Pegasus' Millennium Eye! But Yami remained true to Yugi's wish for the freedom of the captured souls.

The prizes for victory had been established, but every coin has a second side. Pegasus told Yami the cost of the card being blank. If he were to lose the duel, his image would appear on the card and his soul would be captured. Yami and Yugi had much to gain, but also much to risk. Still, neither one of them had any intention of giving up their souls. The thought of Yugi losing his soul disgusted Joey, but it made Emily and Tea tremble in fear of their beloved friend. Neither of them could bear to let that fate befall Yugi. At the same time, they knew there would be nothing they could do to prevent it.

Both players exchanged decks. Yami cut and shuffled Pegasus' deck while his deck was left untouched. When their decks had been returned, the scoreboard had been set and the match was set underway. Yami made the first move. After his first match with Pegasus, he had no doubt things would be the same as they were before. Still, the Millennium Eye changes everything. He had to stay on his guard and make his moves carefully. He played two hidden cards on the field.

Needless to say that they weren't exactly hidden. Pegasus could see the cards in Yami's hand by simply looking through his eyes and knowing all of his strategies by reading his mind, making him prepared for anything. Pegasus summoned Red Archery Girl in defense mode and played a card face down to end his turn.

Yami remembered Pegasus' tactics of toying with his opponents and pretending to be an amateur. But he had to take the duel one move at a time and hope to gain an advantage over his opponent. He revealed his two hidden cards Beaver Warrior and Horn of the Unicorn. But as he declared an attack, Pegasus revealed his hidden card Tears of a Mermaid. The trap blocked Beaver Warrior's attack and returned its attack value to 1200. Afterwards, Red Archery Girl switches into attack mode, draws her bow, and launches her arrow, piercing through the rodent and dealing 200 points of damage.

The duel had only just begun and already Yami was getting frustrated. How can he possibly have a chance against an opponent who can read his mind and see his cards? Whatever move he'll make, Pegasus will be prepared to counter it. Yami knew what he was up against, but he refused to surrender after coming so far. For his turn, he played a monster in defense mode.

Pegasus summoned a dragon named Ryu-Ran in defense mode and switched Red Archery Girl back into defense mode. After that, he played a card face down and started to take advantage of Yami further by reading the cards in his hand. The cards were revealed to him as Spellbinding Circle, Magical Hats, Horn Imp, and Celtic Guardian. Pegasus even saw that the card Yami drew was Summoned Skull. Yami knew without a doubt that Pegasus saw what was in his hand. He was about to lose it, but Tea, Joey, and Emily continued to cheer from the sidelines, telling their friend not to let Pegasus get in his head. But that was already proving to be easier said than done. If there was a way to make Pegasus blind to his opponent's cards, then Yami had to find it and fast.

Because Pegasus saw what was in his hand, Yami knew it would be pointless to play the cards he was holding. It would also be pointless of him to alter his strategy just as Kaiba did and discard his hand. He felt he just had to give what he had and play Summoned Skull in defense mode and Spellbinding Cirlce face down. Pegasus was once again prepared as he switched Ryu-Ran into attack mode and declared an attack. The dragon's Fire Stream attack activated the Spellbinding Circle, which was the opportunity Pegasus needed to reveal his hidden card Trap Displacement, forcing Spellbinding Circle's effect to work on Summoned Skull. Ryu-Ran's Fire Stream engulfed Summoned Skull and destroyed it.


	25. Mind Games and Magic

Mind Games and Magic

As Joey and the others continued to watch the duel, he noticed that Tristan had not yet rejoined them to watch the duel. Max and Bakura decided to go look for him. At least, that was what they told their friends they were going to do. By the powers of their treasures, the evil spirits within overheard from Croquet that someone had infiltrated the dungeons and taken Mokuba away. That gave them an idea. The spirits decided to head to the dungeons and seek out Mokuba.

The duel had gone from bad to worse now that Pegasus played Toon World. His monsters had been drawn into its bindings and reemerged as Toon Mermaid and Manga Ryu-Ran. The comical dragon used its Nasty Nostril Flame to incinerate Giant Soldier of Stone, the monster Yami played in defense mode a while back. To finish his move, Pegasus left Toon Mermaid on the field in attack mode.

After witnessing Toon World's power when Pegasus used it against Kaiba, Yami knew that right away, Pegasus had an unfair advantage for using a card that was too powerful for distribution. But he remembered that every card has its weakness and perhaps he figured he could uncover Toon World's weakness by taking a chance and fighting back. He summoned Celtic Guardian to the field in attack mode. Since both monsters were equal with 1400 attack points, the fight would result in a stalemate. But Toon World granted Pegasus' monsters all sorts of privileges, such as stopping an attack and defeating the opponent. And it was so as the clam the Mermaid was taking refuge in caught the blade, threw back the Guardian, and the Mermaid shot him down with her arrow. After Toon Mermaid is drawn back into Toon World, Pegasus plays two cards face down.

From what Yami knew so far was that the Toon monsters couldn't be taken down by sheer brute force, so a head-on battle was meaningless. Also, the monsters would be protected within Toon World's bindings as long as it was in play. If there was a card in his deck that could destroy Toon World, he would have to find it and fast. Until then, he would have to defend himself. Right now, losing a monster was better than losing life points.

But his life points would not be as safe as he hoped. One of Pegasus' hidden cards was a trap called Gorgon's Eye. With its fierce gaze, the Eye lured Yami's monster, Horn Imp, out into the field and turned it into stone. As if the trap being continuous wasn't bad enough news, any monster petrified by the Gorgon's Eye would have half of its defense points drained from Yami's life points! But that wasn't the only thing Yami had to contend with now that Pegasus had revealed his second card Doppelganger. Another card Yami recognized from Kaiba's duel. This time, Pegasus transformed Doppelganger into Summoned Skull. True, the fiend was in the graveyard, but the graveyard was also still a part of the playing field and had many cards. The thought of Pegasus using Summoned Skull made Yami shudder, but what really disgusted him was seeing the fiend transform into a rather grotesque Toon. To Pegasus, a Toon monster was a more advanced and lovable version of the original, but to Yami, it was a sick, unfunny monstrosity. It was starting to become hard for him to keep his cool and contain his frustration; especially when the monsters would just keep attacking him and not give him any chance of fighting back. Toon Summoned Skull's Lightning Strike crumbled the Horned Imp to smithereens and dropped Yami's life points to 900.

In the dungeons, Tristan found himself surrounded by Pegasus' guards. He had no intention of returning Mokuba or becoming their new prisoner. But he had no way of fighting his way out with Mokuba's weight on his back. That was when the evil spirits controlling Bakura and Max came to his rescue. Using their shadow magic, they brought their cards to life and used them to escape. Bakura used his Chain Energy card to trap the guards in magical binding rings. The spell wouldn't last long, however, so Bakura and Max told Tristan to follow along and keep up.

It was Yami's turn again. He drew his card and was glad to see that it was his most trusted creature, Dark Magician. But he growled in frustration once again as Pegasus saw the card and spoke up in torment; telling him to make it easy on himself and accept defeat.

But after listening to his friends' words of encouragement, Yami refused to give in to his taunting. Too much was riding on this duel. Forfeiting would mean not only losing the duel, but losing Solomon and the Kaiba brothers forever. Pegasus would gain everything and no one would be left to stand in his way, let alone be able to. He had to gather his strength and faith. Right now, his faith was resting in the hands of the Dark Magician. If he couldn't defend, he could fight and still protect himself and his monster with the usual combination of the Magical Hats. But Pegasus didn't need to guess which Hat the mage was hiding under and waste an attack. All he had to do was read his opponent's mind.

Joey had enough of Pegasus' mind reading abilities and was about to lose it. Tea tried to calm him down and remind him to keep the faith for their friend. Emily was just as fed up and knew that words of encouragement weren't enough anymore. But as much as she wanted to help, even she could do nothing against Pegasus' Millennium Eye. Then she wondered, she didn't have to, but Yugi could. "Yugi, please don't give up," she cried out to him. "I know you have a chance! I know Pegasus possesses magic, but so do you; the magic of your Millennium Puzzle!"

Hearing Emily's words, the Millennium Puzzle begins to react and Yugi and Yami find themselves speaking to each other in the corridors of their minds. They could sense Pegasus trying to break in and they were trying to hold him back for as long as they could. But hopefully, this moment would be brief enough for them to talk. Yugi remembered what he was told by his grandfather; to trust in the power of the Millennium Puzzle and learn to control it. He said the power itself and didn't mention the spirit within. So he told Yami, "I may have to banish you from the corridors of my mind."

But Yami was against the idea. "We won't stand a chance against Pegasus if we don't work together." Yugi already made that mistake in their duel with Mai and that almost caused him to lose everything; practically throw away all that he was fighting for.

Hearing Yami say that actually made Yugi reflect on what happened back then. But he figured a new strategy had to be put into order. Setting aside their teamwork wasn't an option, but Pegasus was already overwhelming them with his immense power as they were going by their usual ways. So Yugi suggested, "We're losing to Pegasus because we're keeping our minds so close together. But I have another idea that may keep Pegasus from reading our minds. What if we keep our minds separate and switch places back and forth?"

"Switch minds," Yami echoed. "So rather than merge our spirits like we usually do, we keep our thoughts separate and secret even from each other. A dangerous move, but it might work." It sounded a lot better than one dueling on their own without any help. They would be apart, yet still united and working together as a team. It was the best strategy they could agree to come up with, so they immediately agreed and put it into place.

Just in time too. Pegasus had ordered Toon Summoned Skull to attack one of the Magical Hats. To his surprise, the Hat was empty. Looking at the scoreboard, he saw that Yugi's life points were untouched and Dark Magician was still on the field. _Impossible! I just read his mind. His Dark Magician had to be hiding under that Hat._

"Maybe you probed the wrong mind, Pegasus," said Yugi's voice. "One that doesn't know where the Dark Magician hides. Or maybe your mind reading powers aren't as all-knowing as you think."

"You dare mock the awesome all-knowing power of my Millennium Eye?" questioned Pegasus.

"You gained nothing from your attack, Pegasus," Yugi was saying. "Even with your magic, you won't be able to win because you're not the only duelist with a Millennium Item. Now let's see how your Millennium Eye measures to my Millennium Puzzle."

Tea was amazed, but at the same time, worried. Yugi was taking a real big gamble by starting to understand the magic of his Millennium Puzzle. How much did any of her friends know about its power? The only power any of them had was encouraging their friend from the sidelines while watching him fight the toughest duel of his life all on his own. But Yugi was not truly alone.

Yugi looked at the card he drew for barely a second and placed it on the field face down. "Pegasus, do you know what I card I just drew and placed on the field? Just use your Millennium Eye to read my mind," he challenged. "That is, if you can."

Was this really a challenge or was it an empty threat? Either way, Pegasus was confident he would be able to identify the card. But as he tried to tap into the powers of his Millennium Eye, Yugi and Yami had already switched places. "What?" Pegasus cried, finding himself blind to the card. "I can't tell what the hidden card is that you just played."

"Sorry, Pegasus, but I don't know what card that is either," said Yami's voice. "Reading my mind will tell you absolutely nothing." Seeing Pegasus stare in disbelief, Yami explained, "You see, Pegasus, I don't know what the card is because I am no longer Yugi Muto, but someone else altogether. Through the magic of the Millennium Puzzle, two minds inhabit the same body. Each time you try to read one of our minds, we'll use the mind shuffle."

 _Mind shuffle!?_ Pegasus wondered in shock. Clearly, he did not anticipate this. For all of his mind reading capabilities, he was completely unaware that two separate beings dwelled inside one vessel. But why didn't he see it before? Pegasus admitted that small twist took him by surprise, but the truth was that his mind reading capabilities were a simple trick compared to what other powers he possessed. For now, he would just proceed with the duel without bothering to probe his opponents' minds. But the truth was that by relying on his magic for so long, Pegasus lacked what real dueling skill all duelists possessed. But that cold fact would not stop him from achieving victory. Pegasus called forth his Toon Summoned Skull and ordered it to attack the Magical Hat in the center. To his disappointment, the Hat was empty.

Yugi immediately switched places with Yami and drew his next card. He saw that Pegasus was still frustrated for his failure, but wouldn't take any chances. After placing the card on the field, Yami took over once again. Their mind shuffle was working. They were taking control of the duel and Pegasus was the one who was about to lose it. Yami even saw the frustrated expression on Pegasus face. He looked down at the two hidden cards promising not to know their identities and to have faith in Yugi.

Meanwhile, Tristan and the evil spirits escaped the dungeon, but found themselves trapped as they were climbing a tower. With the guards still in pursuit, the evil spirits knew that the only way to get out of this predicament was to fight back.

"We're doomed," Tristan moaned as he saw the guards.

"What do you mean," asked the spirit possessing Max. "We are not beaten yet."

The spirit of the Millennium Ring drew a card from his deck. "We won't be after I enlist some help from the Shadow Realm." The card he drew was Man-Eater Bug. Using his shadow magic, the evil spirit brought the monster to life. Amused as he sees the guards cower before the beast, he asks his partner, "Present day humans are so fun to terrorize, don't you agree?"

The question wasn't mean for Tristan, but he still responded, "No, but then again, I am a present day human. What the heck are you guys?"

"You wouldn't even believe us," Max replied. "But as much as my friend and I enjoy their cowardice, we can't waste our time having fun. So I shall stop their miserable whining and put these fools out of their misery," she says and calls forth the Morphing Jar. The creature strikes and sends the four men to the card graveyard where the Reaper of the Cards can claim their souls.

"I don't know how you guys did that and I probably don't even want to know," said Tristan. "However, I know you're not my friends. You're the evil spirits Yugi dueled in the Shadow Realm and beat," he told them, remembering that dreadful night.

"Yes, and now we've come back," said the evil Bakura. "We actually would have won that Shadow Game if your friends hadn't betrayed us. So my friend and I have decided to seek out new hosts."

"You won't take me without a fight," debated Tristan.

But he wasn't the one the two spirits were after. "We want a vessel without a mind or soul of its own," the evil Max clarified.

"You want Mokuba."

The evil spirit of the Millennium Ring nods. "So unless you want to meet the same fate as those fools, you'll hand the boy over to us. Should you try to resist, we will send your soul to the Shadow Realm. Either way, we'll be taking the boy by force. So in either case, we have the advantage."

After seeing what the evil spirits were capable of after their first encounter, Tristan decided it would be wise of him not to take his chances. "Okay, I give up. You can have him," he says and sets Mokuba off his back. The evil Bakura steps forward to take the boy, but Tristan takes him by surprise and tosses Mokuba over to him. Seeing that he's off guard, Tristan takes this chance to fight back and knocks Bakura unconscious. Max tries to intervene, but Tristan takes Mokuba back and knocks her out as well. Looking down, Tristan sees the Millennium Ring and Max's cobalt crystal. "The evil spirits seem to be controlling Max and Bakura from inside those necklaces. So in order to get rid of the evil spirits, I've got to get rid of the necklaces." So he removes them from his friends' necks and hurls them into the air and watches them land in the forest. "Good riddance," Tristan grumbled. Now he could rejoin his friends. There were no more guards in pursuit, but the weight of three bodies would drag him down. Other than that, he wouldn't be able to carry everybody all at once.

Back at the duel, things were starting to become intense. Pegasus was becoming fed up with Yami and Yugi's mind shuffling. To his satisfaction, he drew a card that would devastate his opponents and bring him victory. It was Magical Neutralizing Force and as he placed it on the field, the remaining Magical Hats disappeared, revealing the Dark Magician. Now that the mage was in striking range, Pegasus was free to attack, so he called upon his Toon Summoned Skull.

Yami didn't know what to do, but he figured Yugi might have a plan with the two face down cards he played, so he immediately switched places with his partner. Yugi quickly revealed his first hidden card Living Arrow and used it to fire the effects of Magical Neutralizing Force right back at Pegasus; destroying Toon World and returning the monsters within to their original state. But the attack was still coming. That was when Yugi revealed his second hidden card Mirror Force; reflecting the Lightning Strike and destroying all of Pegasus' monsters.

No one, not even Pegasus could believe what had just happened. "This is impossible!" he cried out. "I can't believe you've destroyed all of my beloved Toons! Oh, no! No, no, no, no, no! This is a nightmare! A bad dream! This can't truly be happening." For once, he wasn't even mocking his surprised expression. This was a first for him and everyone else. No one has ever stopped and destroyed Toon World's magic and power until now. But what really made Yami proud was that Yugi came up with this brilliant plan all on his own.

Now the score was standing with Yugi having 900 life points and Pegasus having 600 points remaining. Hearing Yugi's friends cheer, Pegasus quickly pulls himself together. In truth, Yugi's comeback took him by surprise, but he was also impressed. In fact, this was what he had been expecting all along. "I'm impressed, Yugi. When I first met you, you were just another boy. You've showed some faint dueling promise. With my gentle guidance, well, just look at you now. You're one step away from becoming World Champion. You've been to the Shadow Realm and back and more importantly, you've finally begun to master the powers of your Millennium Puzzle. You see, that's what this whole tournament has been about for I intend to take your Puzzle." Using the magic of his Millennium Eye, darkness began surrounding the arena as Pegasus began transporting them to the Shadow Realm.

"Yes, you and I will finish this contest in the Shadow Realm," Pegasus decreed. "For this time, it's winner take all!"


	26. The Real Battle

The Real Battle

With this new twist coming into action, there was more than one way to describe what this all meant. Playtime is over and now the real match can begin. Everything else was just child's play and now Yugi was playing against the big boys. There was no denying that Pegasus had planned to face Yugi in a Shadow Game after observing his duels and witnessing his own power.

The shadows coveted the entire arena, cutting the duelists off from the spectators. Joey, Tea, and Emily had a bad feeling about all of this after witnessing the same shadow magic before. Finally, Tristan came back to the arena and asked for his friends to help him. Max, Bakura, and Mokuba's weights were weighing him down and coming close to breaking his back. "What happened to you?" Joey demanded.

"You wouldn't believe it," Tristan replied as they were setting their lifeless friends down. "I've had an adventure and a half today." After explaining how he was able to rescue Mokuba and was attacked by the evil spirits, he wondered what had been going on since he left. Tristan turned his attention to the darkness surrounding the arena. "So what's the deal with the indoor thunderstorm," he asked, hearing soft crashing like thunder.

Emily decided to explain. "Pegasus was overwhelming Yugi with his Millennium powers, but Yugi tapped into his own powers and made an incredible comeback. Pegasus was upset that he was losing and probably felt threatened too, so he used his powers once more and all this darkness appeared and coveted the arena." Having explained enough, she shared the same concern for her friends that Yugi may be in danger. With that being settled, the gang agreed to get down to the platform and find a way to help their friend.

Within the chasms of the Shadow Realm, Yugi was feeling nervous. He and Yami didn't think Pegasus would take it this far and turn the duel into a Shadow Game. But then again, with so much on the line and Millennia's powers being used throughout the match, it made sense that it would come to this.

"You'll find your experience in the Shadow Realm this time will be a lot harder than your last," Pegasus was telling Yugi. "The strain of maintaining your mind shuffle will make it difficult for you to mentally conjur up your monsters."

Listening to his words, Yugi found himself feeling dizzy and having a hard time focusing. Yami immediately decided to get back in the duel. He had played many Shadow Games before and was used to whatever pain it would inflict on the players. He knew Yugi would be safe if he held back, but he also remembered that their mind shuffle was the only way to keep Pegasus from reading their minds. Still, Yami wasn't willing to risk Yugi's well-being.

Finally, Pegasus drew his card and summoned a mysterious monster called Dark Eyes Illusionist. He claimed to have created this very card just for this duel. For a monster having no attack or defense points, the Illusionist didn't seem like much of a threat, but Yami had a feeling despite its harmless appearance, the monster had some dangerous hidden abilities. He summoned Curse of Dragon to the field to join Dark Magician. Sensing Yugi wanting to get back in the duel and continue mind shuffling, Yami decides to let him do so. But once he gets back in the game, Yugi finds himself feeling weaker.

Even Pegasus saw that Yugi was looking sick and ready to fall on his knees from fatigue. "I don't think you have it in you, Yugi boy. Now you have two creatures to maintain; Curse of Dragon and Dark Magician."

The strain of maintaining his monsters was giving Yugi a dreadful headache. He had never felt such a terrible pain before. Not only was it becoming hard to focus, but Yugi was also having a hard time breathing. He felt his whole world shifting.

Outside the border of shadows, the girls felt a pain in their chests. Joey and Tristan felt it too. It was like they could feel the pain that was being inflicted on Yugi. Despite being in two different dimensions, the gang was still connected to their friend. If what they wondered was true and they were feeling his pain, then there was no denying that Yugi was hurt. But despite what they felt, they could do nothing but hopelessly stare at the darkness in front of them.

Pegasus continued to torment Yugi. "You're looking a little pale, Yugi boy. You know I can send you back to your world whenever you're ready to surrender."

Despite the mockery in his tone, Yami could sense that Pegasus was actually giving Yugi the opportunity to save himself. _Yugi, for once, Pegasus is telling the truth. Your mind just can't handle the strain._

Unable to withstand any more pain, Yugi finally gives in. _Okay, take over, for now._

Yami did, and ordered his Curse of Dragon to attack. The attacked activated Dark Eyes Illusionist's Mesmerizing Magic. The monster's gaze stopped Curse of Dragon and rendered it immobile. But Pegasus wasn't finished. He played a powerful magic card called Black Illusion Ritual. By offering up Dark Eyes Illusionist, Pegasus brought forth a new and potentially more dangerous creature known as Relinquished. The monster opened its outer shell and began drawing in Curse of Dragon. The shell closed and Pegasus ended his turn.

With Curse of Dragon gone, Yami's only chance was to attack with Dark Magician. He ordered the mage to attack when suddenly, Curse of Dragon emerged and Relinquished used it as a shield. By attacking his own monster, Yami lost 500 life points and was down to his last 400. As long as Relinquished would be on the field, Yami would only end up attacking himself. It was clear that Pegasus had created a monster that would serve as the ultimate shield. And it was about to get worse as the monster's Hypnotic Attraction drew in the Dark Magician and attached him to its shell as another shield.

Now that Yami knew what he was up against, his frustration was returning. But Yugi wasn't willing to give up. He was still feeling tired and knew he needed to rest, but he wanted one more chance to take part in the duel. _We have to mind shuffle long enough for me to play a card and retreat before Pegasus can attempt to read my mind. It worked before. I know it'll work again._

 _Are you sure you want to do this,_ asked Yami. _We don't know how long you'll be able to last._

 _I only have to last long enough to play one more card,_ Yugi replied.

Yami was still against the idea. _If you reach the limits of your endurance, your soul will disperse in the Shadow Realm_ , he warned him.

Yugi was aware of the consequences, but he wasn't afraid. In his current condition, fear was the least of his problems. Yugi knew that if he were to back away, not only would he be giving up on himself, he would be letting down his partner, his friends, and the people he promised to help. Yami finally understood and could sense Yugi's courage. He even saw a blue light shining on Yugi's forehead, revealing the Egyptian symbol of courage. As worried as he was about his partner's well-being, no act of courage should be denied its chance. With that being settled, Yami gave Yugi that chance.

Yugi could barely keep his eyes open, let alone focus. He weakly placed his hand on his deck. To sustain whatever strength he had left in him, Yugi gathered all of his courage and his faith. "I've got to have faith in the Heart of the Cards," he quietly mumbled to himself. "Because the next card I pull might be my last." He felt his grip slipping, but he managed to touch the card. "Please," he prayed. "Make it one that can defeat Pegasus. Please!" He weakly glanced at the card, but was able to identify it. He quickly placed it face down on the table. To finish his move, he summoned Feral Imp in defense mode. Yugi knew that even if the card he played was unknown to Yami as well as Pegasus, he still had faith in his partner just as Yami had faith in Yugi.

Pegasus knew that Yami and Yugi would switch places immediately, so rather than try to probe either of their minds, he decided to end Yugi's suffering. Relinquished drew in Dark Magician's power and destroyed Feral Imp. Feeling a connection to his monster's pain, Yugi's vision went black and he was losing his balance. No longer strong enough to switch places with Yami, Yugi silently begged, "Spirit, you've… got to beat… Pegasus." He leaned forward and landed on the dueling platform.

Yami got down and tried to revive his partner as he called out to him. "Yugi? Yugi?" he called, but got no response. "I can't sense his spirit. I can no longer feel the presence of his young mind." Fearful of Yugi's fate, Yami felt like he was about to emotionally break up inside. "No, he can't be gone!"

On the other side, the pain in everyone's chests grew stronger. They also felt it in their heads. To feel a painful pulse so devastating could only mean that the pain was too much for Yugi. Overwhelmed, they began to fear that they had lost their friend. It was really beginning to scare everybody. "I'm telling you, I'm getting freaked out," Joey was saying. "One minute, I'm feeling like Yugi was right next to me, and the next-,"

"He was gone," Tristan finished. "I felt it too."

Tea cried Yugi's name and charged right into the darkness, but could not cross the border. The magic of the Shadow Realm caused her to run back towards her friends even though she had ran straight. Tea turned around and extended her hand to reach inside, but her hand came back towards her.

Tristan attempted to charge right in, but found himself standing on the other side of the dueling platform. He tried again and reappeared in front of the others. "Whatever this is, it's clear that Pegasus designed it to keep Yugi in and us outside."

Joey's fear quickly turned into frustration. "I just can't believe our friend's in the worst jam ever and there's nothing we can do to help him."

Emily just stared into the darkness with eyes flowing with tears. "Yugi," she softly cried.

Within the Shadow Realm, Yami regained control and got back on his feet. He tried to control his temper, but he would not forgive Pegasus for overwhelming Yugi's mind and causing him great pain.

Pegasus could see that Yami was furious. "I take it from this emotional outburst that you're having a difficult time acknowledging the fact that you failed in your self-appointed duty to protect your little dueling protégé? Whoever you are, perhaps Yugi would have been better off without you."

"Be silent," Yami growled. He was not going to stand for any more of Pegasus' despicable ways. "For what you have done, I will show you no mercy."

"Then let the game continue," Pegasus said calmly. Yami drew his card, which was Winged Dragon and Guardian of the Fortress. With Yugi gone, Yami could hide nothing from his opponent and he knew just as much. Nonetheless, he summoned his Dragon in defense mode.

Pegasus knew that attacking the Guardian of the Fortress wouldn't damage Yami's life points, but he still destroyed the Winged Dragon just for sheer pleasure. To complete his move, Pegasus summoned a detonator known as Jigen Bakudan. Pegasus had set the monster to detonate in the next two turns destroying everything on the field. If Relinquished would be destroyed, Pegasus would take no damage because his monster had no attack or defense points. But Dark Magician's attack points would drain the remainder of Yami's life points. Pegasus had decided that the game was his. He knew there wasn't a card in Yami's hand that could destroy the detonator and save his Magician and any card Yami would draw would be known to Pegasus right away. Pegasus knew that the game was his.


	27. The Power of a Sacred Bond

The Power of a Sacred Bond

After Pegasus' last move, Yami was starting to be in doubt. Yugi was no longer conscious and his friends were no longer beside him to give their support. Within his mind, Yami continued to kneel as he held on to Yugi. Then he heard a familiar voice. "Yugi is still with you."

Recognizing the voice, Yami lifts his head and faces the figure standing before him. "You must be…"

"Yugi's grandpa," he answers. "And his heart is still in this."

Yami was confused. "But how can that be? I thought he was-"

"You thought only what your eyes were seeing," said Solomon. "The unbreakable devotion of Yugi's friends keeps his spirit alive." And he began drifting away.

"His friends," Yami whispered. "Of course! They haven't given up on him!"

On the other side of the border, tensions began to mount. "I can't bear it anymore," Emily cried. "There's got to be something we can do to help Yugi."

Tea agreed. Then it came to her. "I've got an idea. Yugi reached out to us when he was in trouble, now we have to reach out to him so we can help him. Remember our friendship pact?" Everyone did remember. They all promised to be there for each other. "If we concentrate our energies and try to reach him with all our might…"

"Then maybe our friendship can get through to him in the Shadow Realm!" Joey finished.

"Together now," Tea said and they all placed their hands together. "Think hard. We can do this. I _know_ we can!"

 _Come on, Yugi,_ Joey thought.

 _All of us are here for you,_ added Tristan.

 _We all believe in you, Yugi_ , Emily wondered.

 _None of us may be able to see what's going on in there, but we'll help you stop Pegasus and get back here safely,_ Tea promised.

Sensing the power of Yugi's friends, Yami feels their support and confidently draws his card. Pegasus tried to see the card through Yami's eyes, but instead saw Joey, Tristan, Tea, Emily, and even Yugi blocking his path. "Oh, no!" cried Pegasus. "Impossible! Inconceivable! My Millennium Eye is being blocked! This can't be! My Millennium powers are unstoppable!"

"Perhaps your powers aren't as awesome as you think they are," Joey argued. "Get out of Yugi's mind and stay out!"

Pegasus growled in fear and frustration to what was going on and what he was hearing.

"Pegasus, you just don't get it," said Tea.

"You think your Millennium Eye makes all the difference, but you're wrong," Emily was saying.

"Friends do," Tristan finished.

"And thanks to all of them, I can and will defeat you," said Yami. He looked back at every one of them and thanked them for still believing.

Pegasus disagreed. "Despite whatever support your little friends provide for you, I will win this duel."

"Wrong," protested Yami. "Now that Yugi's friends are helping me on a whole new level, this is a whole new game. Prepare yourself, Pegasus. Because with Yugi's friends and my Millennium Puzzle preventing you from seeing the cards I draw, you'll have to take them as they come. And they don't come any better than this: the Mystic Box!"

 _Mystic Box?_ asked Pegasus. _I could have been able to counter it if only I saw it coming._ Two Boxes surrounded Dark Magician and Jigen Bakudan, causing them to switch places. Now the detonator was attached to Relinquished and Dark Magician was back on Yami's side of the arena. Pegasus growled as he drew his card. "I pass," he declared. "There's nothing I can do."

Yami drew his card with pleasure. It was Brain Control and he used it to control Relinquished as his own monster. At first, Pegasus looked worried, but when he saw the timer on his detonator, he realized it was set to go off at the end of Yami's turn. The thought of Yami destroying himself made Pegasus laugh in amusement. But Yami had one last plan and it was riding on the last card Yugi played. It was time for that card to be revealed.

The card was Dark Magic Ritual. To commence the ceremony, Yami sacrificed Dark Magician and Jigen Bakudan. Emerging from the darkness was a whole new and powerful spellcaster known as the Magician of Black Chaos. "You may have put Yugi out of commission," Yami was telling Pegasus, "but not before his final courageous act set the stage for the greatest Magician in all of Duel Monsters. And with the Magician of Black Chaos, I will avenge my fallen friend. Face it, Pegasus. No card in your deck can save you now. Yugi's last act of courage will finish you." To complete his move, Yami played a card face down and a monster in defense mode.

Now that the effects of Brain Control had expired, Pegasus had regained control over Relinquished. And he was going to bring about a whole new twist by transforming his beast into a whole new monster. By using the magic of Polymerization, Pegasus merged Relinquished with Thousand Eyes Idol to create Thousand Eyes Restrict. It was intimidating in a grotesque way. Yami stared at the creature in disgust. Although he didn't know the threats Thousand Eyes Restrict posed, Yami wasn't going to let Yugi's last act of courage end in vain. But he was about to see the power of this new monster as it opened all one thousand of its eyes to activate its Thousand Eyes Spell. Its mesmeric gaze had rendered the Chaos Mage and even Yami's hidden monster paralyzed like they were frozen in time. Pegasus was going to use his monster's second ability of Absorption Force to draw in the Chaos Mage and use it to attack.

This was the move that Yami was waiting for. The monster he kept hidden was Kuriboh and the other hidden card was Multiply. Now Thousand Eyes Restrict had no choice but to draw in all the Kuribohs it could.

"Those disgusting furballs," growled Pegasus. "There must be thousands of them!"

"Tens of thousands, Pegasus," said Yami. "And because of the way the Kuribohs attack, you're about to see many explosions."

Pegasus remembered that Kuriboh self-destruct when in contact with the enemy. The little monsters set off sparks as they surrounded Thousand Eyes Restrict. "Curse you, Yugi Muto!" Pegasus said angrily. "You and your Kuribohs."

Yami remembered that since Kuriboh was his monster, the damage from its attack points came out of his life points, leaving him with only 100 life points remaining. But it was a small price to pay. It was worth it too. The explosions had blinded Thousand Eyes Restrict, freeing the Magician of Black Chaos and making him able to attack. "Attack with Chaos Scepter Blast!" Yami ordered. The Chaos Mage spun his scepter and pointed it to the ground; releasing its power and blasting it towards Pegasus' crippled eye sore. "Your Thousand Eyes Restrict has been destroyed!"

Pegasus placed his hands over his head. "OH, NO!" he screamed, watching the devastation.

On the other side, Yugi's friends felt a strange sensation, causing them to break their concentration and come to their senses. They felt like Yugi was coming back. They sensed that he was still a little weak, but still okay.

And Yugi was okay. Now that the duel was over, there was nothing left to strain him. "Pegasus, you're finished. We've won." And he felt the presence of his friends and the spirit of the Puzzle.

Pegasus just looked up and stared in distraught. _I can't believe this. How could this have happened? My Eye… my magic… it all failed me. Cecelia, my love, I'm sorry._ Then he lowered himself and began crying. "I've lost!"

Yugi paid no attention to Pegasus. He entered his mind to talk to Yami. "I don't know how to thank you," was all he could say as he thought about the many things he wanted to say.

But Yami didn't want to take all the credit for their victory. If fact, he wasn't the only one helping Yugi throughout this whole journey. "It was your courage and the love of your friends that prevailed." Then they turned and saw everyone smiling compassionately to show how proud they were.

Yugi agreed. "Friends being there for one another. We did it!" he cheered, and he and Yami high-fived each other.

Finally, the darkness began to lift and the first thing everybody saw was their friend. Yugi turned around and was happy in the same way to see all of his friends again. Remembering all the support they gave him, Yugi immediately thanked his friends.

"Oh, man, Yuge," Joey was saying, having a hard time controlling his excitement. "You did it! You really did it! You really finally did it!"

Seeing that he was getting nowhere by repeating the same statement, Tea softly pushed him aside. "What Joey is trying to say is that it's really great that you and your grandpa are going to be reunited."

Joey tried to speak up, but Tristan beat him to it and told Yugi, "Also, we wanted to say how impressed we are with you for being so brave and all."

Emily didn't want to interrupt Joey when she saw he was still trying to say something and she knew it was rude to interrupt, but she wanted a turn to say something. So she kept it brief and added, "And we're all very proud of you."

Joey became irritated by their interruptions. "You guys were stealing everything I was gonna say!"

"So then talk! Sheesh!" said Tea.

But that didn't really matter to Joey. What really mattered to him and the others was that Yugi had won the duel. The four of them cheered for their friend. But Yugi remembered that his friends were also part of the battle as they helped him and said everybody won.

Emily suddenly remembered. "Let's not forget, this isn't over until Pegasus releases everybody's souls like he promised." The others agreed, but when they turned around, they saw that Pegasus was no longer standing on his side of the dueling platform. That made them assume that he ran off like a coward not wanting to face up to what he had done. But as much as they knew they had to find Pegasus, they couldn't forget about Max, Bakura, and Mokuba.

Just then, they heard Bakura calling out to them. "Hey, up here!" Everyone looked and saw him and Max waving at them. "Hello! Hey!"

"Hey there," Tristan called back. "Feeling back to normal?"

Bakura and Max were confused. "What? Back to normal?" Bakura echoed. "Have we not been normal, Tristan?"

"They must not remember what happened," Tristan whispered to himself. He raised his voice and replied, "The Millennium Ring and blue crystal you guys had were making you act weird."

"Their treasures," Yugi wondered. "Where are they now?"

"Gone," Tristan answered. "I chucked those things off as far as I could."

Max put on an optimistic expression. "Well, if they were making us act weird, then I guess it's for the best that you got rid of them. But don't worry. We're fine now," she insisted.

"Can you guys keep an eye on Mokuba for us?" Tea asked. Seeing Max and Bakura nod, Yugi and the others leave the arena to find Pegasus.

When they were gone from their sight, the evil spirits returned along with their treasures. "We won't be gotten rid of that easily," said the spirit of the Millennium Ring. "And we have some unfinished business to take care of."

"The time has come for us to confront Pegasus and claim his Millennium Item," said his partner. Together, they left the balcony and started their own search.


	28. Aftermath

Aftermath

Pegasus went to his private sanctuary to recollect himself. As frustrating as it was for him to lose, he couldn't go back on his promise. "All that I hoped to achieve was within my grasp," he was telling himself. "I came so close, yet was so far. Forgive me for failing you, Cecelia." He turned his attention to the three cards containing the images of his prisoners. "Keeping their souls will no longer serve me. Besides, I'm a man of my word. So by the power of my Millennium Eye, I release these three from their prisons." The cards lit up for a few seconds and became blank again.

It was ironic, he wondered to himself. His power had been granted to him by the Great Goddess Millennia herself to help him fulfill his wishes. And instead, it had only brought him greater misery. Was it because he was misusing Millennia's power? But then why would she grant him her power in the first place? Was this a part of destiny or was it based upon the acts he committed? But Pegasus didn't spend a lot of time thinking about all of that. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of chuckling.

Pegasus turned around and recognized the duo standing in front of him. "I remember the both of you. You're the evil spirits I sensed before." He turned his attention to Max and spoke directly to her. "And you, Max. I thought you were the princess who holds the Millennium Star. But when I sensed dark power coming from you, I realized you weren't her."

"No, but like you, my friend and I are looking for her and want her power," she replied. "Perhaps I shouldn't say that. After your loss to Yugi, you've given up on trying to obtain Millennia's power through the rest of her treasures."

It was true. Pegasus no longer had any intention of trying to obtain all seven Millennium Items and the Millennium Star. But he didn't want to completely forget about Max. "Tell me, is that a Cobalt Star shard in your possession? Are you servants to the Dark Lord?"

Max approached Pegasus' desk and took his dueling deck. "Yes, and it grants me many powers just as your Millennium Eye does for you." She began shuffling his deck and explained, "Just as your Millennium Eye allows you to read people's thoughts, my Cobalt Star shard allows me the same power. However, not only can I read their thoughts, but I can also see their ideals and darkest desires. But I suppose there's nothing to see now that your spirit has been crushed after your defeat. But I have a proposal: play a game with us. It might give you another opportunity to obtain the powers of the Gods." And she placed five cards on the table. Three in the center and one above and below.

"What is the purpose of this," Pegasus demanded.

"You can tell a lot about a person based upon the cards in their deck," the evil spirit of the Millennium Ring said as he approached the table. The power of his Item allowed him to look inside people's souls which helped him to judge his opponents of their power. He flipped over the first card on the right in the middle column. It was Happy Lover. According to Bakura and Max, Pegasus had experienced the joys of being in love, but because the card was upside down, his romance had ended in tragedy. He flipped over the card in the center which was the Mask of Darkness. This meant that Pegasus' current schemes were just a mask to keep his true plans secret. "We knew you were devious, Pegasus," the evil Bakura was saying, "but who would have thought that you actually had a heart, let alone one so easily broken?"

Pegasus had enough. "Quiet. Let's just play the game."

"But don't you want to see your future first?" asked the spirit of the Cobalt Star shard. She flipped over the card on the left. It was Doma the Angel of Silence. This card depicted Pegasus' future because the evil spirits were going to silence him once and for all.

Now they were ready to play the game. Pegasus and Bakura began matching the powers of their Millennium Items against each other. "Come now, Pegasus, is that the best you can do?" asked the evil spirit. But he could see that Pegasus was fatigued after using so much of his power against Yugi while he was in good condition. Finally, Pegasus fell back in defeat. "You are beaten. But what chance could you have possibly had against someone who's lived for centuries?"

"You've lived for centuries?" Pegasus repeated in question. "What kinds of creatures are you!?"

"Just like we told you," answered the spirit possessing Max. "We are the ones who will silence you once and for all as we claim your Millennium Item." Then the two evil spirits approached and attacked Pegasus.

Yugi and the gang were on their way to next tower until they heard Pegasus scream. But it wasn't just the scream that caused them to stop in their tracks. Tea fixed her gaze at her front as she noticed the tower in front of them looked familiar to her. Then she remembered, "That tower! It's Pegasus' sanctuary! But I thought I had only dreamt of it."

But Tristan also remembered going inside there. "Pegasus attacked us and then Max and Bakura's evil spirits showed up and fought with him. But why did we forget?" There actually wasn't time to think about that. For all they could assume, Pegasus was in the tower and based on his scream, he was under attack.

Their assumptions were justified when they came to the tower and saw Pegasus being carried by his men. When they began asking what happened, Croquet simply told them that Pegasus had suddenly taken ill and needed help. Seeing his condition, Yugi and his friends figured it would be best not to trouble Pegasus or his men with any more questions. But they still wanted to know if Pegasus kept his promise or not. So they climbed up the stairs and set foot inside his sanctuary.

"So this is where Pegasus hangs out?" Joey asked. He and Tristan turned their attention to the portrait hanging on the wall. "Whoever this woman is, she sure is pretty."

Tea noticed a small book on Pegasus' desk. As she looked through the pages, a card fell out. As Yugi picked it up, Tea said, "It seems to be Pegasus' diary and it's written all about that lady." Tea began to read the contents on the pages aloud for everyone to hear. "Darling Cecelia, at last, I've finally found a way to restore you to this world. It's an elaborate plan, but not one beyond my genius. It involves the Kaiba Corporation and some ancient magic I plan to harness once I obtain all the Millennium Items and the Millennium Star."

Hearing all of that, Emily suddenly spoke up. "This could be it! This could explain why Pegasus set up the tournament, attempted the takeover of Kaiba's company, and went after Yugi!"

"And maybe who this girl is," Yugi added, showing the card he picked up. It looked like a miniature version of the portrait on the wall.

"She must be very special to Pegasus," said Emily.

Tea continued to read the contents on the pages. It was explained like a story starting with how Pegasus and this Cecelia first met. Pegasus first met Cecelia at a gala hosted at his father's estate. They were both young children, but had immediately fallen in love with each other and had been together ever since. As the years passed, the love Pegasus had for Cecelia inspired him to become an artist and he loved painting portraits of her. Finally, he got the courage to propose to her and she accepted his hand in marriage. But on their wedding day, disease befell Cecelia and killed her. Pegasus was left brokenhearted and could no longer paint. It was like all the joy and passion had gone from his life with Cecelia. From that moment, he could think of nothing else but to want to be with her again beyond the mortal world. So he went on a journey to find such a way.

Eventually, Pegasus came to Egypt and it was here where he learned that its people believed in life beyond the mortal world and where they could reunite with their loved ones. In hopes of wanting to find that belief to be true, fate intervened once again. He stumbled upon an Egyptian man telling him to cease his journey for it would only lead to greater heartache. Pegasus wondered if this stranger could help him fight the pain in his heart, but the man told him once again to go home. But Pegasus refused and followed him against his wishes - or so he thought. He followed the man below a stairwell and came to a sacred temple. The stranger took notice of Pegasus. Now that he had discovered the sacred temple, the only way to leave was to be judged by the Great Goddess Millennia through her sacred treasures. In this case, the Eye of Millennia itself. The man guarding the temple said that if Pegasus was deemed worthy by the Great Goddess of her power, he would see things Millennia herself would see. If not, Pegasus would be driven into chaos and madness. The Egyptian placed the Eye in place of Pegasus' left eye. He cried out in pain as he placed his hands over his head, but a few seconds later, the Egyptian saw that Pegasus was destined to wield the Eye of Millennia.

From that moment, Pegasus saw himself standing in a void. In the void, he saw Cecelia coming to embrace him. Happy to have finally found his lost love, Pegasus embraced Cecelia, but only for a short moment. Despite the power to see things beyond the mortal eye, touching beyond the mortal realm was beyond the power of the Millennium Eye. Once again, Pegasus was heartbroken. But even so, he would not give up on his quest to bring Cecelia back to life and reunite with her once more.

As Tea finished telling the story, she closed the journal and concluded, "It goes on to say that Pegasus got an inspiration to use KaibaCorp's technology and Millennia's power to restore Cecelia."

"Millennia's power must be incredible based upon the story and after seeing what the Millennium Items can do," said Yugi.

"There was also something about a Millennium Star," Tea remembered. "Believed to be more powerful than the combined power of the seven Items, Pegasus wanted to find it and use it for himself. He heard that it was in the possession of an Egyptian princess and wanted to find her. But in order to find her, he would have to obtain more Millennium Items. But it didn't say who this princess was." As Tea set the journal down, she took notice of three blank cards on the table. Seeing that, everyone wondered if Pegasus kept his word after all. The only way to know for sure was to go back to the balcony and see Mokuba. So they headed for the stairs.

Yugi was on his way to join them until his path had been blocked by some kind of strange vortex. Yugi was shocked to see a man emerging from it, but what surprised him even more was that he was in possession of a Millennium Item. This man was actually the same Egyptian who met Pegasus and gave him the Millennium Eye. His name was Shadi and he eyed Yugi suspiciously as he took notice of the Millennium Puzzle. Having sensed a disturbance from his Millennium Item and being warned about Pegasus being attacked, he decided to begin his investigation starting with Yugi. Shadi approached him and placed his Item, the Millennium Key, close to Yugi's head and used it to enter his mind.

Shadi found himself standing in a hall with two rooms in walls opposite from each other. He gazed inside the first room. It looked like a child's playroom filled with many different toys and void of malice. It was clear to Shadi that Yugi was a boy of innocence and was therefore not responsible for attacking Pegasus and stealing the Millennium Eye. But he decided to further his investigation by entering the room across. This one belonged to Yami. This was quite mysterious for Shadi considering he had never come across someone with two minds.

"It's all right," Yami said, sitting in his chair. "You may enter my chamber if you wish. But I warn you to tread cautiously. I will allow no harm to come to the boy whose vessel I share." Seeing as he was given permission to enter, Shadi stepped inside. "Your presence intrigues me," said Yami. "I don't know how you entered my mind. Explain yourself before you step further. I demand an explanation for your intrusion."

"I seek a criminal who has stolen the power of a Millennium Item," Shadi answered. "It has been five long millennia since the sacred treasures of the Great Goddess were created. Their magical energies were trapped within them by a brave pharaoh. Combined, the seven Millennium Items are equal to the powers of the Millennium Star. Hence many evil men have ventured to use Millennia's power to fulfill their selfish desires. It is my heritage to guard the Millennium Items and my charge to punish the thief who stole Pegasus' Millennium Eye."

"Are you accusing me of being that thief?" Yami wondered.

"You have already taken refuge in the vessel of another," Shadi replied. "But if you are not the criminal I seek, then you have nothing to fear from my search."

"Guilty until proven innocent," Yami confessed. "An ancient concept for this modern age. However, I have nothing to hide. I am not your criminal."

"Then grant me passage to your unconscious mind," requested Shadi. With a snap of Yami's fingers, their surroundings lit up and a labyrinth was revealed. He granted Shadi's request and permitted him to search to his heart's content. There were so many doors and each of them concealed a sort of mental defense to keep out any intruders. Despite Yami's cooperation, he was not making this easy for his visitor. Shadi wandered the labyrinth for what seemed like hours falling victim to every mental defense behind every door, but would not give up until he found the answers he sought.

He came to another door and carefully walked inside. It looked safe until the floor began to crumble. Shadi held on for dear life, but was about to lose his grip. If he were to fall, he would be trapped within this spirit's mind. Then he felt someone touching his hand. He looked up and saw Yugi trying to help him. "I don't know why the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle is doing this, but I can't let him hurt you."

Yugi and Shadi left the room and found themselves back in the labyrinth. "I seek the truth, but strangely, my path is always blocked."

"It's strange, all right," Yugi said in agreement, "But I don't think the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle is doing this on purpose. I wonder if there are certain memories and secrets kept hidden even from him. If there are, I wish I knew what they were." Just then, a doorway lit up as if it responded to Yugi's wish. He and Shadi were both intruiged and stepped inside. Instead of falling victim to another mental defense, they saw rows of stone tablets with images of monsters carved on them. "What is this?"

As they continued to proceed down the hall, Shadi explained what it all meant. "Five thousand years ago, Egyptian kings and sorcerers played a game of great and terrible power. These Shadow Games were played with real magic and real monsters. But these games erupted into a war that threatened to destroy the world until a brave pharaoh locked the magic away and sealed the monsters within stone tablets. But how could your other personality have knowledge of this ancient history? And why do I suddenly sense here in his unconscious mind magic that the world has not known for five millennia?"

Now Yugi understood why the images looked familiar to him. They looked like the cards in the game of Duel Monsters. A light surrounded one of the tablets, activating another trap. From within the tablet emerged the Dark Magician. No doubt he was here to guard the hidden secrets within the chamber. He raised his scepter, but not to attack. Instead to warn the intruders not to pass any further. Looking down, Shadi saw the image of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. He was about to use his Millennium Key to summon it, but Yugi stepped in front of the mage. "Dark Magician, we are not intruders," he reasoned. "Please allow us to leave in peace. We will not reveal any secrets we find. You know me."

Listening to Yugi's words, Dark Magician lowered his scepter. He did know the duelist whose deck he resided in and trusted his words. Shadi was amazed. The Dark Magician would yield to no one besides the great pharaoh he served. Then he wondered, was Yugi the one the Great Goddess had chosen to continue the pharaoh's legacy? The entire hallway lit up as the mage disappeared and Yugi and Shadi found themselves back in Pegasus' tower. "I apologize for my intrusion into your mind," Shadi said sincerely. "I did not realize that you were chosen by the Great Goddess herself. In my search of a thief, I instead found one of Millennia's chosen warriors. The theft of Pegasus' Millennium Eye is but the first sign that evil once again walks the earth; that the Dark Lord's servants seek to use Millennia's power against her. As in ancient times, his followers threaten to envelop the world in darkness and only those chosen by Millennia can stop it."

Yugi tried to understand all of this as best as he could, but a lot was still unclear to him. "Is there anything else you can tell me about this?"

All Shadi could tell Yugi was to warn him to stay on his guard for whoever stole Pegasus' Millennium Eye would soon come after his Millennium Puzzle and search for the princess who possessed the Millennium Star. Thinking about it scared Yugi. But how could he hope to find this thief if Shadi couldn't? Yugi still had a lot of questions, but Shadi was already leaving. Before he left, he finally introduced himself and promised Yugi that they would meet again.


	29. The Journey Home

The Journey Home

Yugi caught up with his friends and went back to the balcony where Bakura and Max were watching Mokuba. Slowly, the boy opened his eyes. It was good to see him looking well as he was coming back. Well, physically, anyway. He was still worried about his brother and wanted to find him. Everyone promised to find Kaiba together.

Just then, Croquet came before the group. Due to Pegasus' injury, it was decided that he would be the one handing out the awards. Of course, Yugi already got his promise for the freedom of the souls Pegasus captured, but he was given one more prize for his victory. Croquet held out a small case containing a one-of-a-kind card called the Ties of Friendship. The card's image contained a beautiful girl clad in a white dress with flowing blonde hair and white wings. It was a beautiful image indeed. The girl looked like an angel and even a princess. Croquet also presented Yugi with a check containing the prize of three million dollars. As promised, Yugi told Joey the money was his prize. This was the happiest moment in Joey's life. After being apart for six long years, he could save Serenity's sight and see to it that they would see each other again.

It was now time to make preparations to go home. But after searching the castle several times before, Kaiba couldn't be found. But when they came to the front door, they saw Kaiba standing in the breeze smiling at his little brother. Mokuba couldn't help but cry of happiness as he ran up to his big brother to hug him. "Big brother," he cried, "you're here!" Seeing the brothers embracing each other was the first time any of them had seen Kaiba show compassion and heart. That made them forget the pain and bitterness he caused all of them.

Kaiba knelt down and said compassionately, "It's all right now."

"Oh, Seto," Mokuba was saying as he took the locket from around his neck. "I didn't know what happened to you, but I never stopped thinking of you."

Kaiba took his locket and opened it. "I would have risked anything to save you." Mokuba knew that very well. Now they really were together again. "So what do you say, little brother? Ready for me to take you home where we both belong?" Mokuba responded happily and said he was ready.

Kaiba finally turned his attention to Yugi and confessed that he and Mokuba would still be Pegasus' prisoners if he hadn't gone out of his way to help them. "Thank you for freeing my brother's soul, Yugi," he said gratefully. "He means everything to me."

"How could I do anything else?"

"And I am grateful, but because of our circumstances, our duel was not conclusive." Even Yugi remembered that in truth, their matches were never official despite so much being on the line for them. Really the two were just pawns in a game. So Yugi and Kaiba promised to duel again for real next time and determine who the better duelist was.

Now that that was settled, it was time to go home. But Joey remembered that there were no more ferries leaving the island. Everyone realized that they needed Kaiba's help getting back to the mainland. Hopefully his helicopter would be capable of carrying everyone.

Yugi withdrew himself from the real world and entered his mind. Once again, Yami congratulated Yugi for the courage he displayed and his determination. "You did it. You saved everybody."

"We both did," Yugi countered. "And I don't even know your name."

"I've been called many different names throughout the ages, but I've been known as Yami."

"Well, Yami, I'm glad to call you my friend."

"Good. I'm glad to be one."

Max and Bakura kept their distances from the gang. The evil spirits didn't want to be sensed. _Yugi has the championship title and Joey has the money, but we have Pegasus' Millennium Eye. And soon we shall possess all seven of the Millennium Items_ , the spirit of the Millennium Ring thought.


	30. The Wrath of Rebecca

The Wrath of Rebecca

It felt good to be back home in Domino city, but not as good as meeting Yugi's grandfather. The gang went to the hospital to pick him up and was glad to see him looking lively and well. But he was still feeling a little out of it for being in the Shadow Realm for so long and would need a bit more time to take it easy. Nonetheless, everyone agreed to escort Yugi and his grandfather home.

There was no problem in explaining the story of everyone's adventures in Duelist Kingdom, but Yugi and the others didn't mind leaving out a few things that would be a little hard to explain like meeting the evil spirits possessing Max and Bakura.

Yugi suddenly remembered. He reached into his coat pocket and held an envelope out to Emily. "I have something for you."

"Thanks, Yugi," she said as she took it. "But what is it?"

"Well, you've got to open it first," he responded.

Seeing that he's right, Emily opens the envelope and takes out a letter. Before she can read it, she sees a card fall out. She picks it up and realizes that it's Yugi's prize. "The Ties of Friendship? But this… this is yours," she said, handing it back to him.

Yugi shakes his head. "No, Emily. Read the letter."

She does as told and looks at the message. The contents read: " _I was happy when I found out you were coming home and looking forward to catching up with you. I was even glad that you decided to tag along for the Duelist Kingdom tournament. But what was really special to me was what you did on the island. It made me realize how much you truly cared and would do anything to help a friend no matter how scared or intimidated you were. I'm thankful to have such wonderful friends and I'm glad you're one of them. Thank you."_

Emily felt like she was going to cry of happiness. She tried to hold back her tears as she smiled at Yugi. "This means a lot to me. I feel the same way for you and everyone else. Thank you, all of you."

"Nothing to it," said Joey. "What are friends for?"

Max looked carefully at the card. "The girl in the image looks a lot like you," she told Emily.

"Do you really think so?" Emily asked curiously, pulling it away and placing back in the envelope. She recollected herself and cleared her throat. "Thank you, Yugi. I promise I'll take extra care of it."

He gently placed her hand in his. "Don't worry about it. It's yours."

"I know, but still," Emily was saying, but she couldn't finish because she wasn't sure of what to say. The card was special not because it was a prize or because it was one of a kind, but it had Yugi's feelings in it and made her see how much he cared.

Yugi and Emily looked at each other for one minute. Just like what happened before, they wanted a chance to kiss, but their romantic scene was cut short by a child's calls. When everyone came to the game shop, they were surprised to see a small girl with honey colored hair in pigtails and bright green eyes and freckles across her face. She also had a brown teddy bear cradled in one arm and a crate of luggage being carried by the other. The child looked like she was about Mokuba's age and perhaps the same size. She marched up to the gang and asked Yugi's grandfather, "Tell me, is your name Solomon Muto?"

"Yes," Yugi's grandfather answered. "And who might you be?"

"Who might I be," the child echoed. "I might be Rebecca, and I might have just arrived into town, and I might have just been waiting here for you. Don't you know it's not nice to keep a lady waiting?" she scolded, waving her finger.

"Cute," Max scoffed. "So who are you exactly? You said you 'might' be Rebecca, so who are you really?" Rebecca just ignored her.

Emily just tightened her eyes in disbelief. "How old are you?" she asked Rebecca. When the child answered that she was only eight years old, Emily asked, "Don't you know it's dangerous for you to be wandering around the city all alone?"

"I can take care of myself," boasted Rebecca. "Besides, I'm not alone. I've got Teddy to take care of me." And she placed the stuffed animal close to her face as she began talking to it.

"Rebecca, I'm confused," said Solomon. "What is it you want from me?"

"My card," she demanded. "You have my Blue-Eyes White Dragon card and I want it back." Everyone was confused. For one, Solomon said that the Blue-Eyes White Dragon card was given to him by an old friend. This child couldn't possibly be that same friend. Without waiting for an explanation, Rebecca tells them, "The Blue-Eyes White Dragon is an ultra-rare and powerful card that belongs in the deck of a real duelist. There are only four in the entire game. Kaiba has three and the fourth card belongs to me. But my card is missing. You have it and I want it back."

Max continued to scoff and snicker at Rebecca. Clearly she couldn't take her seriously. "You call yourself a true duelist? You really shouldn't be walking around telling tall tales, little girl."

"Wait, it may not be a lie," Yugi protested. He remembered reading an article on the ferry to Duelist Kingdom about a child prodigy traveling the world and winning high league tournaments.

Rebecca nods. "Yup, that's me, child prodigy Rebecca. The top duelist in America."

"Even so," Max was saying, "why should being regional champion entitle you to a Blue-Eyes White Dragon?"

"Because the card is rightfully mine and I want it back," she said again. "It's not worthy in the possession any ordinary duelist or collector. You stole it," she accused Solomon.

Clearly there would be no point in trying to reason with Rebecca as long as she would continue boasting and barking demands. But she wasn't making this easy for herself either. She did know one thing however, if she wasn't going to be given the card, she was going to duel for it. But it wouldn't be fair because Solomon was just released from the hospital and needed to take it easy. So Yugi agreed to duel Rebecca in his place. Rebecca figured it would be fun to face the Duelist Kingdom champion and show everybody what a child prodigy could do.

When Mokuba heard of Yugi's predicament, he decided to help him out by letting him and Rebecca use one of the company's private arenas. Their game area wasn't due to open to the public until the next few months, but Mokuba did owe Yugi a favor and decided to let it slide. At the same time, he decided to sit back with the others and watch the match. Mokuba heard about Rebecca's reputation as the youngest regional champion and wanted to see her in action. But also seeing her attitude made him reflect on when he tried to eliminate Yugi from the tournament. Mokuba figured that maybe Rebecca could learn a few things from her duel with Yugi just as he did.

As the duel took place, Solomon carefully noticed a few familiar cards and gambits. He was vaguely recalling some of those moves with each passing turn. He recognized some cards played by Rebecca such as Witch of the Black Forest and Sangen and their abilities. Solomon also observed Yugi's moves and recalled playing the same cards he was playing.

Rebecca continued to boast and claimed that a prodigy can only learn from the best and she learned how to duel from her own grandfather. When Solomon asked Rebecca who her grandfather was, she answered that his name was Arthur Hawkins. To his surprise, that was the name of his friend who gave him the Blue-Eyes White Dragon card. Solomon agreed that Arthur did well to teach his granddaughter how to play Duel Monsters, but based upon her behavior and how she had been dueling, clearly he didn't teach her manners or respect for her cards.

"What's there to respect about a bunch of silly playing cards," asked Rebecca, "They're just color on paper. Besides, in the game, it's always about being the strongest. That's what helps you win it all."

"You sure she's not a long lost relative of the Kaibas'?" Joey sarcastically asked.

Max just rolled her eyes. "She's eight years old. Little kids her age assume they're always right about everything and won't listen to anything else."

Mokuba found his heart going out to Rebecca. He used to think the same thing until he watched Yugi's match against the fiend impersonating his big brother. Mokuba learned right away that the cards did have heart and should be treated with respect. He just hoped Rebecca would be able to learn that same lesson soon enough.

As the match progressed, Solomon explained the story of how he met Arthur. They were on an expedition in Egypt and met on a scorching hot day. During their expedition, they made a great discovery about a game the ancient Egyptians played not for fun, but for wealth and power. It was the Shadow Games. But as fascinating as it all seemed to be, none of Arthur's colleagues believed in what they thought was pure nonsense. Battling in other dimensions and using monsters and magic sounded like children's fantasy. But despite being mocked and ridiculed, Arthur never gave up on his research and Solomon stood by him like any friend.

But Rebecca wouldn't buy the story. For all she assumed, Solomon wanted to be friends with Arthur so he could betray him and steal his most treasured card. But Solomon told Rebecca that she was wrong because during their expedition, the tomb they were exploring caved in. They were trapped in darkness for what seemed like hours waiting hopelessly to be rescued. They consumed whatever rations they had left until they had enough water only for one. Arthur suggested that to pass the time and keep their spirits up, he and Solomon would play a game of Duel Monsters. Solomon agreed, but made a dangerous proposal. Since there was no telling when or if anyone would come to their rescue and since the cave was getting stuffy with the passing of time, the last amount of water would go to the winner. Arthur agreed and they dueled in the same way Yugi and Rebecca were dueling card for card. But Solomon wasn't able to finish the story because Rebecca kept demanding for him to keep quiet and stop lying. As much as the others would have liked to hear the outcome of the duel, Solomon instead agreed to keep quiet and just watch. This next move would actually surprise them.

The duel stood with Rebecca standing at 200 life points. The only monster she had on the field was the Shadow Ghoul. And thanks to the eleven monsters in her graveyard, the Ghoul had 2800 attack points. It was now Yugi's turn and the only card he had in play was the Dark Magician. He looked at the card he drew and just stared.

"Well," Rebecca asked impatiently, "did you get the card you need?"

Yugi sighs, lowers his hand, and places it over his deck. "No. I surrender, Rebecca."

Joey, Tristan, Tea, Emily, and Max were shocked, obviously not expecting this from Yugi. Solomon just watched with satisfaction. Rebecca cheered for herself and skipped from the arena as she approached Solomon. "All right, I won, now give me my card," she demanded, holding her hand out. Solomon reached into his pocket and showed her the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. He had taped it together after getting it back from Kaiba. "You tore it!" gasped Rebecca. "First you lie, and then you steal it, and now you tear it up! You mean, despicable-,"

"Rebecca, behave yourself," a voice scolded. Coming in through the entryway was her grandfather. Solomon was happy to see him and Arthur was just as happy to see his old friend. It had been too long since they last saw each other. He apologized and said, "I do hope my granddaughter hasn't caused you too much trouble."

"For what?" Rebecca asked, acting like she had done nothing wrong.

Arthur turns to his granddaughter and asks, "Rebecca, do you realize that Yugi was the one who really won the duel?"

"No, Grandpa, I won," she whined. "You saw it."

Arthur turns his attention to Yugi and tells him how much he's like his grandfather; a generous lad and a fine duelist. Then he walks up to the arena and draws the card from Yugi's deck to confirm his suspicions. "Just as I thought. Rebecca, take a look at this card. It's called Soul Release. It allows the cardholder to remove five cards from either player's graveyard. Yugi could have used this to remove the cards from your graveyard and decrease Shadow Ghoul's attack points by 500, making it 200 points weaker than Yugi's Dark Magician."

"So then, Yugi never really had to surrender? But then why did he?"

"Don't you understand?" Arthur was explaining. "Yugi wanted to show you that there's more to dueling than just winning and losing. He wanted you to see the Heart of the Cards." Then he began telling the rest of the story, saying that Solomon saved his life that day. Their duel ended in the same way. Solomon drew the card he needed to win, but he sacrificed his victory to save his friend. The cave was stuffy enough to put out the light and make Arthur feel dehydrated and weak. Even though Arthur insisted that Solomon didn't have to surrender, he couldn't ignore his friend's health. But just when they thought they were both at the end of their rope, their team of archeologists had found and rescued them.

It was also true that in the duel, Arthur sacrificed his monsters to raise Shadow Ghoul's power, but he never failed to honor their sacrifice because they were still helping him throughout the duel. It was like their powers were being combined from within the Ghoul itself. That was when Arthur learned that a duelist must show respect for his opponents as well as his cards and in gratitude, gave Solomon the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

"Yeah, and he showed his respect and thanks by ripping it up," Rebecca remarked.

"It was damaged, Arthur," Solomon apologized.

Arthur understood and forgave his friend. Despite the card's damage, they both remembered what was more important about valuing the card. It wasn't because it was rare, but because it represented their friendship. And Solomon kept the card because throwing it away would mean throwing away his friendship with Arthur. "Now do you understand, Rebecca," he asked his granddaughter. "Great duels can create strong friendships because the cards are about heart."

Rebecca found herself softening up a little. "My heart?" she sheepishly asked.

"The heart of every duelist," Mokuba suddenly said. "And the Heart of the Cards. I was just like you, Rebecca. I always thought cards were about power and didn't think they'd actually have heart. But then Yugi showed me the Heart of the Cards as I watched him duel a creep who stole my brother's deck and tried to use it against him. Cards that have bonded with the duelist can always help see them through to victory. Yugi won because it was my brother's deck and the cards responded to his heart; his wish to help Yugi defeat that imposter."

As Rebecca listened to everything her grandfather and new friends were telling her, she finally realized she was wrong. "I never knew. I'm so sorry, everybody."

Emily walks up to her and smiles at her compassionately. "All is forgiven now, Rebecca. You learned a lot of important lessons and in turn, came to learn about how friendships can be forged. That's what the game is all about, after all, making new friends. And in the end, friendship is better than victory." She holds out her hand. "Would you like to be friends with us?"

Rebecca looked at Emily's hand, then slightly tilted her head up. She smiles with an expression of kindness and takes her hand. "I'd like that very much."

"Now you're acting mature," said Max. Rebecca still paid no attention to her wise cracks.

It was good to see that everyone was getting along a lot better now. Solomon and Arthur even figured they should have a duel after all these years. Yugi still wasn't sure his grandfather should take much excitement. But in the end, what really mattered was that everyone was getting along now.


	31. Virtual Adventure

Virtual Adventure

Mokuba was happy to have made a new friend with someone his age. He and Rebecca were getting along so well, but he was sad that she could only stay for a short while. But he had a feeling he would meet her again someday. Rebecca actually liked hanging out with the brother of the world champion. That made her wonder if he was as good as a duelist as she was. But their time getting to know each other was brief, but she told him she hoped to see him again soon.

As happy as Mokuba was to have met Rebecca, he couldn't forget that he and his brother still had a score to settle with their board of directors, who called themselves the Big Five. Kaiba immediately declared that their employment be terminated for their alliance with Pegasus. The chief executive tried to explain to Kaiba that it was all a phony partnership they planned to rescue the Kaiba brothers and that they never had any intention of turning the company over to Pegasus. Kaiba could see right through their lie, but to keep him persuaded, the five executives said they had completed his project for designing a virtual reality game.

Kaiba was not grateful to his five associates for finishing his project, but figured it wouldn't hurt to test it out before market distribution. After all, he designed the game software and the technology. But this didn't mean that his board of directors would get scot-free of their punishments.

The Kaiba brothers went down to the cellar where Kaiba's virtual pod prototypes were built. Mokuba wasn't sure his brother should go through with it. After what happened, clearly the five men couldn't be trusted. But Kaiba refused to heed his brother's words. He entered one of the pods, placed his deck into the recognizer, and his mind was uploaded into the game.

Kaiba looked around. His surroundings and senses were working normally. Everything animate and inanimate seemed as real as it would be in the world he lived in. Even the Duel Monsters in the game appeared just as Kaiba had programmed; to attack the player. Kaiba played Blue-Eyes White Dragon when suddenly he was ambushed by another monster. Seeing as he didn't design this, he knew right away that the game program had been rewritten. A little too late for him to realize that he should have listened to his brother.

Mokuba watched in horror as his brother was being attacked. He had to rescue Kaiba and Mokuba knew that the only way he could do that was enlist the help of Yugi and his friends. He took his brother's deck and escaped before the Big Five's hired goons could capture him. Mokuba ran through the streets fighting the cold wind and the rain beating down on him. He made it to the game shop soaking wet and congested. "Please help me," he begged with a raspy voice. Yugi and his friends got Mokuba settled into the living room and gave him a blanket and tea to warm up.

Mokuba found himself beginning to feel a little stronger and told everyone what was wrong. The big five pretended to still be loyal to Kaiba. It was true that they had been working on Kaiba's virtual adventure game, but they reprogrammed it to attack him. Now that Kaiba's mind was trapped in the game, it would be a matter of time before the big five would make sure he would stay trapped because in a virtual reality game, shutting down the system meant being trapped forever and losing also equaled death. Yugi knew right away that the only way to rescue Kaiba was to upload his mind into the game and win. Joey agreed to help out as well.

With that being settled, Mokuba led Yugi and the others back to KaibaCorp and brought them to the room where the prototypes were built. There were only three, so half of the group had to stay behind. Mokuba already decided that he would be going to rescue his brother and Yugi already agreed to take part in the game. Joey was the only other experienced duelist, so of course he was going. So they entered the pods and inserted their decks and their minds were uploaded into the game.

The trio was off to a steady start as they found themselves standing in the forest where Kaiba was ambushed. As they passed on, they noticed that the trees were starting to look dead and the ground below them was becoming murky. Just then, they were attacked by Armored Zombie, Dragon Zombie, and Clown Zombie. Joey recognized them from his duel with Bonz and remembered how to defeat them. But he didn't know how to since he never played a virtual reality game before. To demonstrate, Mokuba drew a card and raised it in the air to summon Rude Kaiser. Yugi did the same thing and summoned Dark Magician. The monsters came back stronger every time they were attacked. Finally, Joey knew what to do and played Shield and Sword to switch their attack and defense status. Dark Magician attacked again and got rid of the zombie trio for sure this time.

Just then, a small fairy holding a key came by. Wondering if it's like the fairies sent to guide and protect the players in the games, Joey, Yugi, and Mokuba start following it. The fairy leads them out of the haunted end of the forest and to a town in the valley. The group looks around the town asking the citizens questions in hopes of finding answers on Kaiba's whereabouts. Mokuba heard from an elderly woman that a stranger had been taken to a temple far across the desert and wondered if it was his brother. He and Joey and Yugi tried to cross the desert, but got warped back to the town by a sand twister.

It turned out the only way to cross the desert was to have a Niwatori card and neither of them had it in their decks. They also went to the different card shops and stands, but could not find the card. Then the trio met up again at the square and saw a sign that read: " _Fame, glory, and the prized Niwatori card await the challenger who can defeat the champion_." This was their only chance of getting the card they needed to cross the desert, so they rushed to the coliseum and registered to compete. Joey decided to be the one to duel and was given a mask and cape. This was a requirement for all competitors. He went out to the field wearing a green cape on his back and a swine mask over his face. The champion had a red cape and a mask the shape of butterfly wings over her eyes.

As usual in games and in reality, it's always 'ladies first'. Madame Butterfly (that was her title) made the first move by summoning Harpy Lady and playing a card face down. Joey had seen that opening move many times before, but didn't care. He summoned Flame Swordsman and declared an attack, which activated the power of Mirror Wall and cut the Swordsman's attack power in half. Finally, Harpy Lady was given a power boost thanks to Rose Whip. Joey had enough and knew right away that this was Mai Valentine. He removed his mask and revealed himself, causing Mai to call off her attack and do the same. Even Yugi and Mokuba were surprised to see Mai. The audience in the coliseum didn't like what was going on and wanted the duel to continue. Mai had enough of being a virtual champion anyway and was more than happy to escape with the guys. Before leaving, she had Harpy Lady use Rose Whip to snatch the Niwatori card. Now they could escape the coliseum and head out to the desert.

Back in the laboratory, Tristan, Tea, and Emily were starting to become bored and weren't sure how to pass the time. But their boredom didn't last. They could hear the Big Five's goons coming and knew they were going to attempt to unplug the pods and trap the players' minds in the game forever. To keep them from coming in, they gathered all the furniture and electronics and used it as a barricade. It was working so far, but Tristan and the girls would only be able to hold the goons off for so long and they begged their friends to hurry back.

Riding on the Niwatori, Mai explained to the guys that KaibaCorp's board of directors paid her to play the virtual adventure game to test it and make sure the programs would work in their favor. She didn't like being a test subject, but figured it would be fun to try the game out. Plus, as long as she would make money, she'd do it either way.

Finally, they made it across the desert and came to a mountain. They figured the temple was hidden somewhere inside. Their journey was not being made any easier with all the new additions and obstacles designed to stop them. Mai and the boys passed through a cave and came to a giant labyrinth. Just then, they heard a girl crying out for help. Joey ran right ahead to check it out, which made Mai a little jealous and proud. Jealous because Joey would do anything for a girl and proud because she wondered if he knew she was out of his league. Just then, a Labyrinth Tank appeared and began closing in on Yugi, Mai, and Mokuba. They ran right into the maze and found Joey. He stopped in his tracks and tried to figure out which way to go. Yugi grabbed him and told him they had to go now. But more Tanks appeared and cornered them. That was when Yugi played Magical Hats. Four Hats appeared in different corners of the maze, but they were transported to a corner far from the Tanks.

The same fairy from the graveyard appeared and told the group to follow her. She led them to a young princess who looked like a feminine image of Mokuba. She was the one who cried out because her guide, Erue the fairy, had disappeared. But now she was back and could lead them out of the maze. But they find their path to be blocked by the Gate Guardian. Yugi and Joey knew how to defeat it and played the cards they needed to do it. By playing Summoned Skull and Red-Eyes Black Dragon and merging them together, Black Skull Dragon came into play. To raise its power, Joey played Dragon Nails and the Dragon's Motlen Fireball melted the gatekeeper. The young princess was amazed and had never seen anyone fight so bravely. That made her wonder if these were the heroes of legend destined to save her kingdom. To show her gratitude, she invited Yugi, Joey, Mai, and Mokuba as guests to her palace.

The princess' name was Adina and she was the leader of the kingdom Simlau. That actually took everyone by surprise. But they were looking forward to the castle's accommodations. Mokuba hoped Adina would have some information on his brother, so he decided to ask away at dinner. Adina had a feast prepared in everyone's honor. Of course, Joey's stomach got the better of him and made him forget his manners. He even ate too fast, which caused the food to get stuck in his throat.

When Mokuba finally got to ask Adina if she knew anything about his brother, she was scared to answer. She had heard from her subjects that many people have been captured from her kingdom and her neighbor's kingdom at this time of year for the offering of the Mythic Dragon. The neighboring kingdom had given up their offering and said it was a stranger from a foreign land. Mokuba knew right away that it was Seto who had been captured and taken, so he asked where he was taken. Kaiba had been taken to a dark castle floating in the sky. Yugi wondered if it was the Castle of Dark Illusions. Adina turns her attention to the painting on the wall. It told the tale of a hero who escaped the Castle and soared through the sky on a flying machine. But this happened a thousand years ago before the hero hid his vessel somewhere in Simlau. And it turned out that the flying machine was the only thing capable of reaching the Castle because it was surrounded by a barrier that prevented all monsters from entering. That made Mokuba worry if his brother would be trapped in the Castle forever. But Mai encouraged him and told him that every game has a solution and promised to find a way to help Kaiba.

What really frightened Adina more was that she volunteered to be her kingdom's offering to protect her people. She believed that if the Mythic Dragon would be summoned, the heroes of the prophecy would unite to slay the Dragon and restore peace. After witnessing everyone's courage and strength in the maze, the princess knew right away that Yugi, Joey, Mai, and Mokuba were the heroes in the prophecy. The thought of having the weight of the kingdom's fate on their shoulders was a little scary. But Joey remembered that it was a game and they could win with ease. But Mai and Yugi reminded him that the journey would still be dangerous and they had to be careful.

After dinner, Adina decided to don the team with the perfect heroic attire. Mai wore a silver armored vest and a skirt with gloves and boots. She even had her own personal sword. She figured she could get used to something like this. Yugi felt a little silly dressing up like an armored prince going into battle. He even had his own sword attached to his belt. As for Joey, well, he was too embarrassed of his attire. He wore a suit made from what looked like the pelt of wild animals and a skull for a helm. He even had a club with spikes for a weapon.

Then everybody heard screeching and went outside to check it out. Mokuba was already outside with Princess Adina. Monsters of all kinds were flying towards Adina's castle to claim their offering. Yugi decided to destroy all of the monsters by playing Dark Hole and trapping them in its vortex. But a dagger pierced the card. It came from the same Armed Ninja that ambushed Kaiba. He tossed his net towards Adina and caught her in it. Joey tried to cut the net and free her by equipping Axe Raider with Kunai with Chain, but a Whiptail Crow swooped in and caught the net and began taking Adina higher into the sky. But it wasn't Adina who was captured. She was standing right next to her friends. Mokuba disguised himself as Adina to take her place and join Kaiba in hopes of finding a way to rescue him. Adina didn't want him to go through with it, but she was too scared to change his mind and knew his determination.

Down at the grounds in the city, what appeared to be ancient ruins had been uncovered by the storm that struck when the monsters attacked. There was also a mysterious shape almost similar to the flying machine's. Then Yugi realized that this was where the hero his vessel. But even if he and Mai and Joey could find a way to dig it up, it would probably be uselsess now. That was when Yugi decided that the flying machine had to be restored. If the passage of time corroded the flying machine, then reversing the hands of time would return it to its original condition. Joey had the right card for the job. His Time Wizard's Time Magic was making Simlau as it was a thousand years ago when the hero hid the flying machine. The ancient city looked almost as beautiful as the city of today. Suddenly, the ground began to quake and the flying machine started to emerge from below. Yugi, Joey, and Mai quickly climbed aboard and began ascending from the ground. The people of Simlau cheered and wished their warriors well on their journey. Erue went after the machine and decided to join Yugi and his friends on their way. Yugi noticed that she had taken a liking to him since they met, so he let her come along.

They got higher above the clouds and saw the Castle of Dark Illusions and the many Duel Monsters coming in to attack. The same Whiptail Crow that took Mokuba away tried to attack Yugi, but Erue stepped in to protect him. Joey summoned Giltia and ordered it to fight back. Yugi softly held Erue in his hands. She weakly smiled at him, and then her information began to scatter as she became digitized. Yugi had enough and so did Yami. Sensing his partner's rage, he decides to take control from here. Mai and Joey continued to fight off the monsters that were coming to attack. The flying machine made it through the Castle's barrier, but began to break down from all the damage from the attacks. Yami summoned his Guardian of the Fortress to take him and Joey and Mai to the Castle while Mai's Harpy Lady Sisters carried their monsters.

For a guy who claims to care about the rules and ways of the real world, Kaiba had spent too much of his time playing games and not a lot of it in reality. Joey figured that since there was a forest within the Castle of Dark Illusions. This was actually bad because insect based monsters lived in the forest. There were swarms of Killer Needles and Man-Eaters. To destroy all of them, Yami played Mirror Force. The bugs got zapped like they were going into a beacon of light and caught on fire. The fire disturbed the Cocoons of Evolution in the trees, causing Great Moths to emerge. It was time to set of more fireworks as Yami set Kuriboh on Catapult Turtle. With the magic card Multiply, the one Kuriboh that was launched turned into thousands and began self-destructing as they touched the Great Moths.

Inside the Castle, Kaiba was pinned to a stone wall. His 'caretaker' Witty Phantom appeared and snapped Kaiba back to his senses. The Phantom was programmed by Kaiba to torment his prisoners and not let them sleep. To shake him up, Witty Phantom presented Mokuba to his brother. He even claimed that he was the one they really wanted and not Adina after saying he wasn't fooled by his disguise. It seemed that the Duel Monsters could tell Mokuba apart from Adina no matter how convincing the disguise or how much they looked alike. Mokuba was glad to be reunited with his brother, but had no intention of being Witty Phantom's new prisoner. So he freed his brother from his shackles and gave him his deck back. Now that Kaiba was free, he could get back in the action, starting by getting rid of Witty Phantom. He really wasn't his most inspiring creation anyway. Now they had to escape from the lava pool before another Duel Monster could show up and attempt to offer them to the Mythic Dragon. Kaiba even got back the Blue-Eyes White Dragon that was taken from him when he was ambushed. With twice the firepower, nothing could stand in his way.

The entire group met up at the front door of the Castle. As usual, Kaiba wasn't willing to show gratitude to Yugi and his friends for helping him and instead spouted insults. He was even mad at Mokuba for asking them to come to his rescue, but understood his need to do it since he didn't know who else to turn to. What actually really mattered to Kaiba was that the game was over and they could escape since he escaped the lava pool and the Mythic Dragon couldn't be summoned. But the Big Five had been watching the game all along and decided that after seeing Yugi and his friends come so close to the end, it was time to take the game to the next level. Thanks to all of their hard work of rewriting the game's program, they could summon the Mythic Dragon without an offering.

The entire field looked like a computer's hard drive and all of its circuits were forming into the Mythic Dragon; a monster with 5000 attack and defense points. It had a golden body and five heads of a different attribute. There was a silver metal head, a head made of fire, a black head for darkness, a blue head for water, and a green head for wind. The big five also brought them to this arena because it was equipped with a dragon seal, permitting only Dragon monsters into play. A match of Dragons was Kaiba's kind of game. He summoned Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Joey summoned Red-Eyes Black Dragon, Mai summoned Harpy's Pet Dragon, and Yami summoned Curse of Dragon. All Dragons launched their attacks, but their attacks canceled each other out. On the other hand, Mokuba had no Dragon to fight or defend with, making him an easy target.

Joey refused to let the Big Five attack him and had his Dragon protect him. But the overwhelming might of the Mythic Dragon costed Joey all of his life points. He fell to his knees and felt like his heart was being crushed. "So long," he groaned. "I'm done for." Before his body disappeared altogether, he smiled and gave his friends a thumb's up.

Seeing Joey become digitized made Mai start to cry. "You creeps!" she yelled. "What kind of sick, twisted game have you turned this into!?"

"Game?" the Big Five asked. "This ceased to be a game long ago."

In hopes of avenging Joey's fall, Mai ordered her monster to attack. But alone, Harpy's Pet Dragon didn't stand a chance and was engulfed by the Mythic Dragon's Flame. Her life points reach zero and she starts to become digitized. "Yugi, I'm sorry," she groaned. "Looks like I'm not going to be around to see how this ends. Sorry, I tried my best. It's up to you now."

With two of their companions gone, Yami knew that the only way to defeat the Mythic Dragon was to join forces with Kaiba. But Kaiba refused and told Yami he didn't know what he was doing even when he saw him summon Black Luster Soldier by sacrificing Curse of Dragon and Gaia the Fierce Knight. Since the Soldier wasn't a Dragon, it couldn't attack or defend and was useless. But it wouldn't be unless Kaiba would bring forth his Ultimate Dragon.

The Mythic Dragon attacked again, but wasn't aiming for Kaiba's Dragon. It was going to attack Kaiba himself. Mokuba refused to let that happen and pushed his brother aside. The blast engulfed him and Mokuba began to feel cold like all of his nerves and senses stopped. He was even digitized before he lost consciousness. Kaiba couldn't keep calm. He had to scream his brother's name.

"Kaiba, your brother's sacrifice doesn't have to be for nothing," said Yami. "We can win this, but we have to work together. Now for the last time, call forth your Ultimate Dragon!"

Kaiba's rage began to build up inside. He would do anything to avenge his brother and this time he was going to accept the idea of cooperating with Yami and make the Big Five pay. Now that the Ultimate Dragon was in play, Yami could merge it with his Black Luster Soldier. The Mythic Dragon tried to attack, but its effort was in vain. Kaiba and Yami's monsters had merged into the Dragon Master Soldier. The Soldier raised his blade and began channeling the powers of all the Dragons in play, including the ones that were destroyed. Just like in Adina's prophecy, when the strength of heroes is combined together, a greater power will be unleashed and the Mythic Dragon will fall. Dragon Master Soldier now had 9000 attack points and by the power of his Dragon Saber Blast, his blade and the Dragons' lightning obliterated the Mythic Dragon. Just then, the floor itself became digitized and Kaiba and Yami fell into a digital void.

When they regained consciousness, they found themselves standing in front of Adina's castle and hearing words of praise and gratitude from her and her people.

But Yami was too sad to accept their gratitude. "We're not the ones you should be cheering."

"There shouldn't even be any cheering," Kaiba growled. "I lost my brother in there."

But Adina told them not to be sad for there was no reason to bear such losses. As it turned out, Princess Adina's true identity was Mystical Elf and she began casting a spell to bring back all who were digitized. Joey, Mai, Mokuba, and even Erue were brought back and were alive and well. Yami and Kaiba felt the pain in their hearts disappearing and were happy to see everyone return.

The portal back to the real world opened up. Kaiba was about to cross into it until Joey stopped him. "Don't you think you could at least say 'thank you' for the help?"

"I never asked for your help and as far as I'm concerned, I never needed it," Kaiba replied. He turned around and told Yami, "Yugi, you on the other hand, I will offer my gratitude. We made a good team, you and I. But don't think this means we'll be partnering up again sometime in the future."

Yami smiled in accepting of his choice. "Fine, but whatever grudge you may hold against me, perhaps you can start to think of us as friends, and less as adversaries."

Kaiba didn't want to look forward to that. But he also had a feeing there actually would come a time when he would need to swallow his pride and set aside his differences with Yugi and Yami and work together again. Still, he hoped such a time would never have to come. Finally, he and Mokuba passed through the portal. Before the others could pass through, Mystical Elf thanked her heroes once more and promised them that their deeds would be forever remembered.

Back in the lab, Tristan and the girls felt their strength failing and the barricade being broken through. The goons finally broke in, but not before Yugi, Joey, and Mokuba got out of their pods. That made them realize that if they were free, Kaiba would be coming back too. And since there were no other guards protecting their bosses, Kaiba would see to it that the Big Five would be punished severely. Mai came out of her own pod as well and stretched like she was coming out of a good sleep. Mokuba thanked Yugi and his friends for helping him and his brother once again and went on his way. Now that the storm had let up, Yugi and his friends would be able to go home too.


	32. Enter the New Gamer

Enter the New Gamer

A few weeks passed and a fancy new game shop opened up in town. Solomon wasn't too thrilled about it. Kids these days were becoming so excited about all the new models and games and were starting to disrespect what the old classical games provided. Out with the old and in with the new.

Against his grandfather's wish, Yugi went to take a look at the new shop and check out the competition. Tea and Emily joined him, but weren't as curious. They wanted to get to school and avoid trouble. "Yugi, if your grandpa finds out you've been here, you're going to be so busted," Emily warned.

"What's a little harm in window shopping?" he asked. A woman representing the shop gave Yugi a flyer announcing the new game Dungeon Dice Monsters.

Tea and Emily felt like they spent enough time. "Come on, Yugi," said Emily, "you're going to make us miss first class."

"And if we get detention for being late because of you, you're going to have to help us with our homework for a whole week," warned Tea. Finally, Yugi gave in and started back on the path to school.

None of them were late for class, which was good and meant Yugi wouldn't have to do the girls' homework for them. But the commotion of the new game shop and the Dungeon Dice Monsters game was getting around fast. Joey heard about it in the newspapers he was delivering last weekend. He got a job as a delivery boy to earn a little spending money since he didn't have an allowance and needed to save his award money for Serenity's eye surgery.

Yugi and his friends heard girls squealing and cheering in one of the classrooms next door and went to check out what the commotion was about. It turned out that a game shop wasn't the only new thing around. All the girls in the room surrounded the new student Duke Devlin. He was actually the owner of the new game shop. Duke was showing the girls a trick with his dice. He laid six dice on his deck, placed them all in his plastic cup, shook it up, placed it on the table and lifted it. The dice within the cup had been neatly stacked all in the same arrangement. The sides on each of the dice were the same.

Even Max, who didn't usually take kindly to guys, actually found Duke's trick to be impressive. "That was pretty awesome," she admitted.

Emily thought differently. "There's nothing impressive about wooing a bunch of girls." Emily actually didn't take kindly to boys either and didn't make friends with them easily. Seeing Duke put on a show made her think of him as some hotshot punk who would seek a girl, entertain her, and pretend to be interested in her just so he could get whatever he wanted from her. And when he would be through with her, he would leave her for some other unlucky girl and do the same thing again. But she had to be careful and try not to be quick to judge. After all, she didn't know Duke very well yet.

Even Joey couldn't stand the sight of a guy showing off just to attract the attention of girls. Not that he wanted to be a ladies' man. Joey could draw attention to himself if he wanted to, but he had his talents and pride to consider.

Duke couldn't help but overhear Joey brag. He decided to take advantage of the matter and present himself. "I don't mean to interrupt, but I couldn't help but overhear that you dabble in the game of Duel Monsters." Joey felt like Duke was interested and wanted to learn, so he began talking about his dueling reputation. Little did Joey realize that Duke immediately ignored him and turned his attention to Yugi. "What have we here? Yugi Muto, the Duelist Kingdom champion. I've heard quite a great deal about you."

Joey tried getting Duke to refocus his attention on him. "What have you heard about me?"

"Nothing," Duke answered plainly. Clearly he was only interested in the best and anyone else was deemed unworthy of being heard of. Joey was outraged. How could anyone not know that he came in second place at Duelist Kingdom, let alone even care? "But since you claim to have undisputed talent, why don't you and I play a little game?" He placed a die on his desk and his plastic cup over it. "Using the power of my mind, I bet I can place the die into my right hand without even having to touch the cup."

"Next you'll say you can fly around the room," Joey scoffed. "Unless you're telekinetic, it's impossible for you to do what you're saying you can do."

But Duke was clever. "You shouldn't be quick to assume such things. The die could already be gone." Seeing Joey look confused, he asks, "Beyond your comprehension? Just find out for yourself."

But Yugi saw through Duke's scheme. "Joey, no! It's a trick!"

But Joey already lifted the cup from the desk and saw that the die had never been moved at all. "It's still there."

Duke lifted the die and placed it in his palm. "I moved the die into my right hand and I never, ever had to touch the cup," he proved. "That makes me the winner."

Max smiled. "It's all about using your head."

"You're nothing but a dirty, rotten con artist!" snapped Joey. "Why don't you try facing me in a real game like Duel Monsters?"

Duke places his finger in his bangs and twirls them around. "As you wish, but since this appears to be your kind of game, I'm afraid I don't have a dueling deck of my own. So I have one condition: we pick out our cards and assemble new decks."

Yugi was against the idea. If they weren't going to play with their own cards, then the game would be based upon pure luck. Besides, there were lots of cards he and his friends had never seen before. But since Joey was the kind of player who liked to rely on luck, he decided to accept Duke's condition.

Duke makes a second proposal. "I think it'd be pointless to play for fun, so let's make things interesting and make a wager. The loser must fulfill whatever request the winner makes."

Joey agreed and made his request. "If I win, you've got to do whatever I say even if it means closing down your game shop for good."

"But if I win," Duke was saying, "you have to serve me for a whole week."

Seeing Duke look so calm and expressionless like he had nothing to lose, Yugi and Emily faced each other, worried that this was a bad idea.

After school, Duke invited Yugi and his friends to his game shop. His associate presented Joey with a box containing several packets of cards to build his deck. Joey opened some of the packets and looked at the cards in delight. He had a feeling the cards would ensure his victory. Finally, they came to the arena where Duke was waiting. It was pretty large, but Duke said it was actually small compared to some of the other game rooms. He even had a theory that he could attract a lot of fans and viewers by broadcasting all games played in his shop for the world to see. It was now clear to Emily that Duke had a ridiculous ego and was full of himself. Even the sound of Duke's cheerleaders rooting for him was enough to give her a headache and even make her eardrums bleed. But the sooner the duel got underway, the sooner Joey could put Duke in his place and perhaps teach him some manners.

Duke decided to be the one to make the first move. He summoned a machine called Oni Tank T-34 in attack mode. It was now Joey's turn and already he played a powerful warrior called Sword Hunter. Not only did it have 2350 attack points, but any monster defeated by Sword Hunter would raise its attack points by 200. And that was what happened when the warrior cut the Tank in half. To protect his life points, Duke summoned Dark Bat in defense mode and played a card face down. Joey summoned another strong monster called Mad Sword Beast. Its special ability allowed it to deal damage to Duke's life points even if his monster was in defense mode. Duke revealed his face down card Michizuri and used it to drag Sword Hunter to the graveyard.

It was a good lead so far, but Joey only had the upper hand because Duke was toying with him. Based on his calm expression, Yugi could tell that Duke knew more about the game than he was fooling everyone into thinking.

It was Duke's turn again and he summoned Spikebot to attack Mad Sword Beast and deal 400 points of damage. Joey wasn't too upset that he lost one monster. He still had a lead in the duel and was confident that he would be able to take on whatever Duke would throw into the field next. The card Joey drew was Goblin Attack Force and it played five monsters for the price of one. Joey's Goblins wiped out Duke's Spkiebot and lowered his life points to 50. Just thinking about winning made Joey excited. He couldn't wait to hear the girls cheering for him.

Duke still had one last trick up his sleeve. He summoned another machine called Gradius in attack mode and played Limiter Remover to double its attack points. Now Gradius had 2400 attack points. Duke remembered that thanks to the effect of Joey's Goblins, they switch into defense mode after attacking. He also remembered that they had no defense points, which was the perfect opportunity for him to use Fairy Meteor Crush. Now Gradius' attack points would deal damage to Joey's life points even if his monster was in defense mode.

"It's a pity this match has to end so soon," Duke was saying, "I was hoping for a real challenge, but it was not meant to be. The only thing that cheers me up is that you will become my servant for an entire week." And with that, Joey's life points dropped to zero.

The girls continue to cheer for their beloved Duke's victory. All of Joey's friends face him in sadness and disappointment. Even Joey felt disappointed in himself. When he was competing in the Duelist Kingdom competition, he actually had a purpose; something worth fighting for. But this time, his pride got the better of him and brought him down.

Duke snaps his fingers and one of the cheerleaders gives Joey a dog costume. "Put it on," she softly demands.

"I hope you're a man of your word, Joey," said Duke. "I'm looking forward to having an obedient dog."

Emily was fed up with this. "Knock it off, Duke. Just because you won doesn't mean you can put Joey down." She walks up to Joey and takes his hand. "Let's just get out of here."

Joey places his hand over her shoulder, "I really appreciate it, Emily, but a deal's a deal."

Duke strikes Joey in the face with his dice. "Shut your yap, you mongrel!" he demanded. "You will not speak unless your master commands you to!"

Tristan and Tea had enough and told Joey to forget the deal, but as much as Joey wanted to leave and felt like he was being put down, he was an honorable lad and couldn't go back on his word.

Impatient, Duke strikes him once again and orders him to put on the suit, making Joey cry out in pain. "You're a dog now, Joey. You don't say, 'ouch'. You say, 'woof, woof. Come on."

"Watch him bark, play the fool. Dog boy Joey's not so cool," the girls cheered as Joey finally got into the dog suit. He even lowered the hood to conceal his face and look like a real dog.

"The dog suit fits you perfectly. Now give me your best bark," commanded Duke. "Bark, dog."

Joey got down to his knees and put his hands on the floor. "Woof, woof," he responded, not really trying his best.

"Good boy," Duke told him. He was going to have a lot of fun humiliating Joey in public for the next full week.

It wasn't fair for Yugi to see his best friend being mistreated like this. Even Yami agreed and decided to put an end to this. "Duke Devlin, your cruel stunt has gone on long enough. I challenge you to a duel and if I win, you'll declare Joey a free man."

"Very well," said Duke, "but we shall play a game of my own choosing: Dungeon Dice Monsters. And if I win, you'll step down as the King of Games and pass that title to me. And you must swear on your grandfather's life never to play Duel Monsters again."

Emily was about to lose her temper. "That is going too far!"

Joey agreed. "You can't agree to this, Yugi!"

Duke launched another die to strike Joey, but Yami shielded him and caught it in his hand. "I will accept your conditions, Duke. We shall play Dungeon Dice Monsters." He drops the die to the floor and crushes it. Yami was taking a really dangerous risk. Dungeon Dice Monsters was a whole new game. But his titles were worth risking for his friends.


	33. Dungeon Dice Monsters

Dungeon Dice Monsters

Duke and Yami took their positions and the arena began changing for the game. The card table turned into a table depicting the arena which would be used as a map. In their section was a table of dice of many different colors and images, making it difficult to know which ones to play with. Duke carefully picked fifteen dice to use in the game and placed them in the shuffler. Yami did the same thing. As its name stated, it would shuffle the dice and bring three to the table with each passing turn. To use the dice, the players had to get matching crests. Each side of the die contained a different crest. The six crests were summon, movement, attack, defense, magic, and trap. To put the summoning effect into effect, all the player had to do was place the die on the table and it would unfold to create a dungeon path. As for the scoreboard, instead of life points, players had heart points. The goal was to get the monster to the opponent's side of the field and attack their heart points. The first player to lose all three heart points would lose the game.

After covering the basics of the game, Duke decided it was time to start playing. He rolled his dice and got matching summoning crests. He dimensioned the dice and unlocked Ryu-Kishin. Yami rolled, but got no matching crests. It turned out most of the dice he picked were high lever dice, making it difficult to summon a monster. If he could, it would be a powerful monster. Most of the dice Duke picked were of low lever, making it easy to summon a monster. Duke figured it would be all right to leave out a couple of basics and that Yami would catch on soon enough. After all, he was the King of Games.

With the passing of turns, Duke summoned many more monsters and expanded his dungeon path across the arena. Yami still had a hard time getting the crests necessary to summon a monster. But he wouldn't let the crests from his previous rolls go to waste, so he stored them in his crest pool. Finally he was able to build his dungeon path and summon a few monsters. Yami knew he had a few low level dice picked for the game.

As the match went on, Duke Devlin revealed that he was not only the champion of Dungeon Dice Monsters, but the inventor as well. He dedicated his life creating a whole new game he was certain players would love. After spending endless days and nights designing the game and writing his rules, he finally sent a proposal to Pegasus asking him to consider the game. Several days passed and Duke finally got a response email from Pegasus and was personally given a flight to Duelist Kingdom. When they met, Pegasus and Duke decided to play the game to determine its entertainment. Even though it was new, Pegasus played like it was no different from Duel Monsters and overwhelmed Duke. He actually enjoyed it and decided to consider making Dungeon Dice Monsters an official game to the public, but the contract wouldn't be made until after the Duelist Kingdom tournament had passed.

After hearing of Pegasus' defeat, Duke was unable to contact him. Not hearing back from Pegasus made him wonder if his mind was changed or if something happened. For all he could assume, Pegasus' spirit was broken and the only way Yugi could have possibly won was by cheating against a master gamer.

Yami tried to reason with Duke and explain what really happened, but Devlin wouldn't listen. Blinded by his pride and idolizing of Pegasus, all Duke could say was his vow of avenging him by defeating Yugi and exposing him for the fraud he saw him as.

The match wasn't looking too good for Yami. Standing on his dungeon path were the Mighty Mage and Thunderball. Duke's dungeon path expanded close to Yami's side of the arena. He also built up his arsenal by summoning Gator Dragon and Blast Lizard and they were in striking range of Yami's heart points. The Gator Dragon's Swamp Fire Blast attacked and left Yami with only two heart points remaining. With Duke's monsters so close, he was vulnerable to another attack. It was a good thing the game allowed a help screen players could use to strategize their moves and prepare themselves. Yami used his help screen and looked at his crest pool to see what he would need to protect himself from another attack. He seemed to have it all planned out. He even managed to get matching magic crests on his roll and used them to activate Thunderball's special ability. The monster curled up and bowled over Blast Lizard. Yami had Thunderball attack again with the magic crests stored in his crest pool and destroyed Gator Dragon.

Duke finally gave Yami a good compliment but actually making a good move on his part, but still gloated that Yami would never know the game as well as he did. But Yami remarked the fact that just because someone invented a game didn't mean they couldn't lose at it. He had to give Duke this lesson because it applied to Pegasus and Duke would be no different even if he was the game's champion as well as its inventor. At first, Duke thought he was being complimented and appreciated what Yami was saying, but his pride blinded him from the truth once again. It was clear he would stand by what he said about Yami cheating to beat Pegasus.

Not that it surprised Yami. He already knew that only way to open Duke's eyes to the truth was to beat him in his own game. He rolled and dimensioned the dice to summon Knight of Twin Swords. But Duke wasn't worried. He was able to summon a much stronger monster called Battle Ox. He also used his stored movement crests to position his monster close to Yami's Knight and thanks to its special ability, it received a ten point power boost when attacking all warrior-type monsters. But Yami was prepared to hold off the attack. By going into defense mode, it took twenty points of damage from Battle Ox's attack. The Knight had only ten points left, but it was enough for him to remain on the field. Yami rolled and got matching attack crests, activating the Knight's special ability of Double Slash and allowing him to attack twice, destroying Battle Ox.

The truth was losing a monster wasn't a problem. His real intention was to build up his dungeon enough to prevent Yami from building his any greater. Duke's dungeon path had coveted almost the entire arena stopping Yami dead in his tracks and dungeon paths couldn't overlap one another. Crossing into an opponent's dungeon path meant walking into an ambush of monsters also.

Duke rolled again and was pleased to see that one of his dice was black, which was rare in the game. It showed a summoning crest and Duke dimensioned the dice. But the die didn't reveal a monster. Instead, it revealed a warp panel. But Duke wouldn't be able to use the warp vortex until another black die had been played to dimension another one. Not that it bothered him. He already planned the location of the next warp panel to be close to Yami's side of the arena where he could strike his heart points.

Yami couldn't expand his dungeon path, but he could still use the remaining open spaces on his side of the field to dimension the dice and summon a monster. Strike Ninja emerged and thanks to its swift ability, it could cross three spaces for each movement crest Yami played.

Duke's three dice came out and one of them was the black die he was waiting for. Now he could complete the warp vortex, but only if he got the crest he needed. Luck was against Duke on this roll, which bought Yami a little more time.

To Yami's surprise, one of his three dice was black. If he trusted in this roll and got the necessary crest, he could use the warp vortex to his advantage. Just like how he always trusted in the Heart of the Cards, it was now time to trust in the Heart of the Dice. His faith came through and he got a pair of summoning crests, allowing him to dimension the dice and unlock the second warp panel. Strike Ninja raced through the field, dove into the warp vortex, and emerged on Duke's dungeon path. After that, the Ninja's Stealth Slash attacked and destroyed Ryu-Kishin.

Duke certainly wasn't expecting that last move. What irritated him more was that none of the crests on his dice matched, so he stored them in his crest pool for when he would need them. Yami rolled and got a pair of movement crests and used them to activate his Ninja's ability and attack Duke's heart point. But Duke didn't throw a fit about it. Rather he enjoyed it and congratulated his opponent. Duke honestly couldn't remember the last time anyone actually attacked one of his heart points. He wanted Yami to savor this small victory, because it wouldn't happen again. Duke managed to get a high level summoning crest on his roll, allowing him to bring forth Orgoth the Relentless. Next, using the stored movement and magic crests, Duke raised Orgoth's attack power to thirty and positioned him to attack. Orgoth took Strike Ninja down with his Diamond Blade Strike. That was what Duke thought before Yami found a way to save his Ninja. He used a trap crest stored in his crest pool to escape from Orgoth's attack. This was good because Strike Ninja was still close to Duke's heart points and able to take out another one.

Duke was beginning to feel shaken. He had never been attacked twice in a row before. But he wasn't going to allow Yami to attack again. He rolled and positioned Orgoth the Relentless to attack again. The trap crest Yami used last turn was the only one stored in his crest pool. There was no way for him to save his Ninja from Orgoth's Diamond Blade Strike this time. It was his turn again and he managed to roll a pair of movement crests. He positioned his Knight of Twin Swords to protect his heart points and stand against Duke's monsters. Duke rolled his dice and positioned Orgoth to the warp vortex and transported him to Yami's side of the arena. Yami had to protect his heart points, so he placed his three monsters close together to form a defensive wall. It was all he could do until he could find a way to stand against Orgoth the Relentless. Duke still wasn't going to hold back. Using his magic crests, Orgoth now had an attack strength of forty. His Diamond Blade Strike cut through Thunderball with ease.

Yami had no alternative now but to look through his help screen. It turned out his Mighty Mage could attack his opponents from two spaces away. But Duke was able to use a defense crest to have Orgoth withstand Mighty Mage's Lightning Staff and lose ten attack points. Mighty Mage took twenty points of damage, but still had a little fight left in him. Duke raised Orgoth's attack power once again. With the six magic crests stored in his crest pool, Orgoth gained thirty more attack points and cut Mighty Mage to pieces.

Joey had enough. Getting back his freedom was the least of his problems now. He saw that his best friend was in trouble and needed support. He wasn't even going to let Duke's gloating or the girl's cheers continue on anymore. He tried to speak, but the girls continued to treat him like a dog and threaten him like one. Joey couldn't take any more and said he had a right to speak. "Don't let Duke rattle you, Yugi. You've been out of tougher situations than this before and have always come through. You even beat Pegasus and he was no different. You won the entire Duelist Kingdom tournament because you were the best duelist on the whole island; better than Weevil, Mako, Mai, and even me. It was all because you kept the faith no matter who your opponent was or how tough they were. If you can beat the creator of Duel Monsters, then you can beat the creator of Dungeon Dice Monsters. Trust in yourself and there's nothing you can't do!"

"Joey's right, Yugi," said Emily.

"You've got to keep the faith," Tea told him.

Yami felt his doubt fading. "You're absolutely right, Joey. I became the champion of Duel Monsters because I believed in the Heart of the Cards. Dungeon Dice Monsters is no different. So as long as I have the same faith in my dice as I do for my dueling deck, I can win." With that, he rolled his dice with confidence and faith. The Knight of Twin Swords moved forward two paces on the dungeon path. Yami used the two attack crests along with the four crests in his pool to raise his Knight's attack power and have him attack Orgoth the Relentless.

But Duke wouldn't allow his most powerful monster to be taken down. He activated Yaranzo's special ability and transformed one of his crests into a defense crest, allowing Orgoth to protect himself from all six of the Knight's Slash attacks. Now everyone was getting the general idea of why Orgoth was known as the Relentless. He was a fighter with a 'no quit' attitude as he held off all off his opponent's attacks and kept taking them down. That was what happened when his own blades cut down the Knight of Twin Swords.

The odds were certainly against Yami, but he knew better than to surrender. Doing so would trap a person in self-pity and shame not just in playing a game, but in life. It's not just about knowing the aspects of all the games and challenges, but getting to know the people who are trying to support you or hurt you; knowing your friends and enemies. But Yami saw there was nothing he could do as he the dice showed no matching crests. Clearly, Duke could see that his philosophies were just words and meant nothing. And since Yami had nothing left and all of his monsters were gone, his heart points were next. Orgoth took out one, leaving him with his last heart point remaining.

This was Yami's last chance to make a comeback. He grasped the dice in his hand, closed his eyes, and prayed for his faith to see him through. With a roll of the dice, Yami got a pair of summoning crests. He looked down at the field and saw the space he needed to dimension the dice. He placed it on the field and it started to fall perfectly into alignment. Within the die was the Dark Magician. This was Yami's reward for believing in his dice. His most trusted monster heard his wish and came to his assistance. With only twenty defense points and no more defense crests, Orgoth was vulnerable to the mage's Dark Magic.

For Duke's move, he called upon the Dark Assailant and used it to open the treasure chest on the field. The chest opened and revealed a Monster Cannon. It looked like a dinosaur with a gun strapped to its back. The Cannon had the power to launch Duke's monsters for attack. The Dark Assailent was fired for attack, but Yami saved his mage in time with the Magical Hats. Duke's attack was a misfire and the Dark Magician reemerged as the remaining Hats disappeared from the field.

Yami was going to enjoy this. He was glad that the Dark Magician and all of his powers in Duel Monsters were the same in Dungeon Dice Monsters. Using his magic crests, Yami activated the power of Mystic Box. One Box materialized around the mage and another materialized around Yaranzo. Swords rained from the sky and skewered one Box. The contents of the Mystic Box opened and revealed a skewered Yaranzo while Dark Magician emerged from the second box and waved his finger at Duke. This move was inspired by the effects of the warp vortex. It was what gave Yami the idea of transporting his Magician close to striking range of Duke's final heart point. The game was now over.

Duke hadn't felt so devastated of his defeat since he played with Pegasus. But he remembered his promise and gave Joey his freedom back. No more dog suit, no more demands, no more humiliation. As for Yugi, he was happy he would still be able to play the game he loved for fun and for helping those in need of his help.

It was then that Duke finally realized how wrong he was about everything. Yugi proved he was a better player and won fair and square. He was finally getting taste of his own medicine as he felt humiliated. "I'm sorry I accused you of cheating," he finally told Yugi. "You really are an honest player. But now thanks to our match being broadcasted all over the world, no one's going to want to play Dungeon Dice Monsters anymore."

"That's not true," Yugi protested. "Duke, you invented a great game and Dungeon Dice Monsters has the potential to become a big hit."

His grandfather agreed. "I haven't seen a game this exciting since Duel Monsters. You've got to keep your store open." Funny, for someone who didn't like the arrival of a new game shop with all the latest entertainment, Solomon thought it wouldn't be so bad after all. There was more than enough room in town for another game shop.

"Dungeon Dice Monsters is pretty cool," Emily admitted, looking at the dice for the game. She actually liked to collect dice for fun. "You can be okay too when you're not trying to humiliate others."

"I guess I deserved that," Duke sighed, even though he already apologized. "If you guys want, I can teach you how to play." Everyone agreed with Emily about the game and Duke's attitude. But they saw he was acting like a friend this time and accepted his offer. He was actually surprised to see everyone putting behind all he had done to them so easily. "How can you let me off so easily after I was a total jerk to you and your friends?" Duke asked Yugi.

"Because revenge leaves you with nothing but bad feelings," he answered. Surely Duke would have learned that by now after his game with Yugi. "And if you're truly sorry, then the best thing to do is make amends and become friends." He was learning from what Emily did when she reached out to Rebecca and offered her friendship.

Duke smiles and nods. "And friendship is always better than victory." And he shakes hands with Yugi. This would actually be good for Duke. Now that he had some real friends, he would become less of a jerk. But that wouldn't mean he would stop wooing girls and showing off. Duke noticed his computer was flashing. He saw that he got the reply email he had been waiting for. Pegasus remembered his promise to Duke after all and decided to send the contract and take Dungeon Dice Monsters global. And Duke owed it all to his new friends. "Thanks for setting me straight, you guys. You helped me to realize that games aren't all about strategy, winning, or losing, but getting to know your opponents."

Yugi nods. "It's about putting your heart in the game and making new friends." _Because you never know where you're going to find them, or once you've met them, how close they'll become_ , he wondered, thinking about Yami.


End file.
